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- Bill Gates implores Nigerian politicians to focus on human capital and its large youth population.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\u00a0Bill Gates traveled to Nigeria to publicly give its leaders some tough talk. It was a highly unusual move but the tech billionaire believes the country is facing a critical moment.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n“While it may be easier to be polite, it’s more important to face facts so that you can make progress,” the philanthropist told a room of Nigeria’s government elite that included the president.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIn an exclusive television interview with CNN, Gates said he wanted to speak out to implore Nigerian politicians to focus on human capital and its large youth population.<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n“The current quality and quantity of investment in this young generation in health and education just isn’t good enough. So I was very direct.”<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe tech billionaire and founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates <\/a>foundation feels that he has earned the right to speak.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nGates says he has traveled to Nigeria for more than a decade and the foundation is spending $1.6 billion on programs here — most of it his own money.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nTheir primary focus is health and their work has been incredibly successful in mitigating the threat of polio<\/a>, particularly in the crisis hit northeast of the country.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nGates feels, along with many others, that it is time for Nigeria’s government to do better. The continent’s largest economy is moving out of a recession<\/a> caused by a tanking oil price and moving towards a closely watched presidential election in 2019.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIn many ways, the country is transforming, with gleaming hotel towers on Lagos Island competing for real estate and the wealthy fighting in the notorious traffic in ubiquitous black SUVs.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBut dig a little bit deeper and the statistics are alarming. As Gates points out, Nigeria is still one of the most dangerous places to give birth and the country’s very young face chronic malnutrition.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n