Why Africans don’t trust Bill Gates’ $50 million health initiative in Africa

A new artificial intelligence-driven health initiative backed by the Gates Foundation and OpenAI has triggered intense debate across Africa, underscoring long-standing trust issues that continue to shape public reactions to foreign-funded health interventions.

• The Gates Foundation and OpenAI have launched a $50 million AI-driven health partnership targeting African healthcare systems.
• Rwanda will serve as the pilot country for the Horizon1000 programme, which aims to support 1,000 primary healthcare clinics by 2028.
• Bill Gates says artificial intelligence could help close critical healthcare gaps in low-income countries.
• The initiative has sparked widespread scepticism online, reflecting deep trust issues around foreign-led health interventions in Africa.

The programme, known as Horizon1000, is a $50 million partnership designed to help African countries deploy artificial intelligence to strengthen overstretched health systems.

Business Insider Africa reported on Wednesday, January 21, that the initiative will work with governments and health authorities to identify practical ways AI can expand access to quality healthcare.

Rwanda has been selected as the pilot country, building on its growing reputation as a technology and innovation hub on the continent. Horizon1000 aims to support up to 1,000 primary healthcare clinics and their surrounding communities across several African countries by 2028.

According to the Gates Foundation, the project will focus on clinical decision support, disease surveillance, and improving administrative efficiency in healthcare delivery.

In a blog post announcing the programme, Bill Gates described artificial intelligence as “a potential turning point for health delivery in low-income settings.”

He added that in countries facing acute shortages of health workers and weak infrastructure, AI could “help close long-standing gaps in care and improve outcomes at scale.”

Netizens react

Despite these assurances, the announcement was met with fierce criticism on social media. An Instagram user, Galil Jamal, described the initiative as “Africa the human testing clinic,” while another user, @_rsv_eileen, dismissed it as “Scam… Africa the new animal/ human testing.”

Concerns about hidden motives were echoed by Nnana Leonard, a Nigerian commenter, who wrote, “Africa, be very careful… Nothing is free… Ask what he (They(Bill g)wants in return… Until we start fixing this things ourselves we can never be free.”

Letlhogonolo Vilakazi added a more ominous note, saying, “The enemy will come as an angel of light.”

Other users called for African self-reliance in healthcare. Gerald Uche wrote, “Gates, please suspend that…allow Africans to develop their medicine.”

Some reactions went further, with Patrick Odoemenam warning, “This is a trap for Africans pls y’all should wake up, they want to depopulate you,” a sentiment echoed by Trevor Maseko and Louis Nutt, who alleged that Africa was being targeted for harmful experimentation.

While many of these claims are unverified and rooted in fear rather than evidence, they reflect deep historical anxieties tied to colonialism, medical ethics, and power imbalances in global health.

Whether Horizon1000 can overcome this scepticism will likely depend on transparency, local ownership, and clear, measurable benefits for African communities.