As chair of the Gates Foundation, Bill Gates./PHOTO;Courtesy
The Gates Foundation has announced the creation of a new Africa and India Offices (AIO) Division.
The move places renewed emphasis on strengthening country and regional leadership in shaping the foundation’s strategies and investments.
For Africa, the new division is expected to elevate the role of country offices in decision-making, priority setting, and program execution across the continent.
The division will be led by Ankur Vora, who has been appointed president of the Africa and India Offices in addition to his current role as the foundation’s chief strategy officer.
In this expanded role, Vora will oversee the foundation’s country offices in Africa, working closely with regional leadership to ensure that local perspectives inform how resources are deployed and impact is delivered.
The Gates Foundation has operated in Africa since 2012, building a growing footprint that now spans five countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa.
Through these offices, the foundation partners with national governments, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, innovators, and local communities to advance health and development priorities across the continent.
In Africa, the foundation’s work focuses on areas including global health, agricultural development, nutrition, financial inclusion, and gender equality, with an emphasis on supporting locally driven solutions.
Its partnerships aim to strengthen health systems, expand access to life-saving interventions, improve food security, and support economic opportunity, particularly for women and smallholder farmers.
As president of the new division, Vora will add oversight of the African country offices to his existing responsibilities, advising the foundation’s chair and CEO on long-term strategy, investment focus, and the organization’s planned 2045 closure.
He will work in close partnership with Paulin Basinga, the foundation’s Africa director, who leads the foundation’s engagement with governments and partners across the continent.
“As the foundation continues to increase its impact through 2045, the new Africa and India Offices Division reflects the central role these regions play in advancing our mission and the importance of ensuring that country perspectives continue to shape strategy, priorities, and how resources are deployed,” said Vora.
The creation of the AIO Division signals a structural shift within the foundation, aimed at reinforcing the importance of regional leadership and local context in tackling complex development challenges.
By bringing Africa’s country offices under a unified division, the foundation says it intends to strengthen coordination, deepen partnerships, and enhance responsiveness to national priorities.
The announcement comes as the foundation continues to expand its engagement across sub-Saharan Africa, where it works alongside governments to support progress toward universal health coverage, improve maternal and child health outcomes, accelerate disease prevention, and strengthen data and delivery systems.
The Gates Foundation said the new division will play a critical role in ensuring that African voices remain central to its strategy as it works toward its long-term goals.
By placing greater authority and coordination at the regional and country level, the foundation aims to support more effective, locally informed solutions that reflect the realities and ambitions of the communities it serves across Africa.
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