Johannesburg — THE world's richest man, Bill Gates, touched down in Mozambique - one of the world's poorest countries - this weekend to further his billion-dollar effort to combat the ravages of malaria and HIV/Aids on the continent .

Gates, the founder of Microsoft, has contributed more money than the US and European governments to fighting malaria.

Mozambican-based malaria expert Pedro Alonso, the scientific director of the Manhica Health Research Centre, said he hoped Gates's contribution would encourage governments to follow suit.

"One individual who is well off has focused a lot of money to support the development of new and improved tools for malaria control. The US and European governments are putting in less money than a single individual to combat malaria."

Gates - named the richest man in the world by Forbes magazine @this week, with a personal fortune of $46-billion - will visit Botswana and South Africa during his whistle-stop tour. He is accompanied by his wife, Melinda. The trip marks the first time the couple has travelled together for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Today the Gateses will announce a substantial donation to Mozambique, adding to the $120-million allocated for malaria projects.

The foundation has donated almost 1-billion to health projects in Africa, targeting diseases that have been neglected by international drug companies.

Altogether, the foundation has donated almost $3.5-billion in grants for global health since 2000.

The World Health Organisation said malaria was the biggest killer of children in Africa, claiming the lives of about 3 000 children under five every day.

On Friday, the Gates Foundation's deputy director for public affairs, Jacquelline Fuller, said the visit would give the couple "a chance to meet people hardest hit by the disease".

"They are visiting to learn more about the scientific side of illnesses [and to] talk to people affected by them and to researchers and doctors on the ground," she said.

Today they will visit the Manhica centre near Maputo, where a malaria vaccine is being tested.