Bill Gates Identifies Poor Tax Collection As Nigeria’s Problem

American business magnate and philanthropist Bill Gates has highlighted Nigeria’s low tax collection rate as a significant obstacle to funding critical sectors such as education and healthcare.

Gates, who co-founded Microsoft and now serves as co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, made these remarks during Nutrivision 2024, a Pan-African youth dialogue on nutrition held in Abuja on Tuesday, September 3, 2024.

Gates pointed out that Nigeria’s current tax collection is insufficient to support the government’s efforts in financing essential public services. He emphasized that as citizens develop greater confidence in well-managed government programs, there will be increased support for funding initiatives in education and healthcare.

“Over time, there are plans for Nigeria to fund the government more than it does today. The actual tax collection in Nigeria is actually pretty low,” Gates said. “If citizens want the education and the health things, as they develop the confidence that these programs can be very well run, and our foundation is involved with a lot of the exemplars that are showing the way in terms of making sure the money is spent really well, running a very efficient primary health care system where the employees are doing great work, the centres are where they should be.”

Gates also stressed that for citizens to trust the government’s ability to deliver quality healthcare, there must be a strong commitment to the effective management of health program funds. He added that building credibility in these programs could lead to greater fiscal flexibility, allowing Nigeria to prioritize funding for primary healthcare.

“It’s exciting that we are driving the credibility of those health programs so that the citizens will feel like primary health care is among the priorities that should be very well funded as you get some fiscal flexibility,” Gates added.

Additionally, Gates expressed optimism about Nigeria’s potential to significantly enhance its agricultural productivity. He suggested that with the right investments, particularly in rural and northern areas, Nigeria could transition from being a net food importer to a major food exporter. Gates noted that by leveraging digital technologies and adopting improved seed varieties, Nigeria could spark an agricultural “miracle” that would boost the economy and address equity and nutrition challenges across the country.
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