Bill Gates: Mandela believed people could make future better

He was delivering the 14th annual Nelson Mandela Memorial Lecture at the University of Pretoria campus in Mamelodi‚ Pretoria‚ on the eve of the former statesman and president’s birthday.

Mandela‚ the first president of the democratic South Africa in 1994‚ was born on July 18‚ 1918. He died on December 5‚ 2013.

“Nelson Mandela said‚ ‘Young people are capable‚ when aroused‚ of bringing down the towers of oppression and raising the banners of freedom’‚” Gates said.

Gates said the duty nations had was to invest in young people‚ to put in place the basic building blocks so that they could build the future.

“And our duty is to do it now‚ because the innovations of tomorrow depend on the opportunities available to children today.

“It’s clear to everyone how big and complicated the challenges are. But it’s just as clear that people with bravery‚ energy‚ intellect‚ passion‚ and stamina can face big‚ complicated challenges and overcome them.”

Gates said since the adoption of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals 15 years ago‚ there had been improvements in the livelihood of Africans.

He said since the goals were adopted‚ one million fewer children died last year compared to 25 years ago and incidents of poverty and malnutrition was down.

However‚ Gates said progress had been uneven.

“Even with the great progress Africa has made‚ it lags behind the world in other indicators.”

He said one in 12 African children will die before they turn five. Although this was a vast improvement compared to 25 years ago‚ African children were still 12 times more likely to die than the average child in a wealthy country.

Gates said Mandela always talked about the power of youth.

“I agree with Mandela about young people‚ and that is one reason I am optimistic about the future of this continent. Demographically‚ Africa is the world’s youngest continent‚ and its youth can be the source of a special dynamism.

“In the next 35 years‚ 2 billion babies will be born in Africa. By 2050‚ 40 percent of the world’s children will live on this continent.”

He said rapid economic growth in the South East Asia region in the 1970s and 1980s was driven by the youth moving into their workforce.

“But for me‚ the most important thing about young people is the way their minds work. Young people are better than old people at driving innovation‚ because they are not locked in by the limits of the past.

Gates said Mandela had remarked that poverty was not natural but was man-made and could overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.