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Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is visiting Nigeria to see first-hand the progress the country is making on primary healthcare, polio eradication, nutrition and financial inclusion.

According to the statement released today by the Foundation, which provides no specific duration for the visit, Mr. Gates will be asking partners to prioritize supporting Nigeria's poorest people to ensure a sustainable and inclusive future economic growth to enable the country meet its ambitious growth and development agenda.

Gates, whose foundation has invested more than $1.6 billion in Nigeria to date, is meeting with government officials, civil society organisations and private sector stakeholders in Abuja and Lagos. Top of his agenda will be discussions around what can be done to accelerate Nigeria's progress, and how the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation can continue to partner in health, agriculture and financial inclusion to support Nigeria's goals.

Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Foundation, is accompanying Bill Gates on this visit as their two foundations continue to collaborate in Nigeria.

The Gates Foundation works with partners in more than 45 African countries to reduce poverty and improve health. Some of the major areas of investment include agriculture, maternal and child health, nutrition, family planning, and financial services for the poor. Between 2001 and 2016, the foundation invested more than $9 billion in Africa.