Nigeria: My Daughter Excited I'll See Burna Boy, Rema in Nigeria - Bill Gates

Burna Boy wins BET Award.
22 June 2023

American business mogul, Bill Gates, said her 20-year-old youngest daughter, Phoebe, was excited he would see Nigerian music stars-- Burna Boy and Rema-- when he visits Nigeria.

He said this, yesterday, while delivering his opening address at a conversation with students and young leaders, entitled "Advancing Africa: Unleashing the Power of Youth in Science and Innovation," organised in Lagos by the Co-Creation Hub Nigeria and Lagos Business School.

Gates revealed Phoebe's gladness over his visit to Nigeria and the possibility of meeting Afrobeats stars such as Burna Boy and Rema.

He said: "When my daughter, Phoebe, heard I was coming to Nigeria, she said 'You're lucky because you get to see Burna Boy and Rema, so I had to look them up...because I'm so 'hip'.

"But I remember the last time I was here, I got to see Davido and Wizkid perform," the businessman said.

Gates, who noted that Nigeria was filled with creative minds and that Afrobeats from Nigeria were popular everywhere, stated further: "Of course, being here in Nigeria, I can't help but mention the amazing creativity that goes on here. Afrobeats from Nigeria are popular everywhere."

He also recalled seeing Davido and Wizkid perform during his last visit to Nigeria, saying: "I was quite impressed with that. So, my kids think I've come to a very hip place."

On artificial intelligence, Gates said he was optimistic it would have a positive impact on education in a way that made learning simpler for students and educators.

Gates said: "As a motivated student myself, I loved to learn things. The Internet has had things like Wikipedia and YouTube and so many amazing resources.

"Whenever I want to understand, 'What is fertiliser? How does it work? Why is it expensive?' I can go out and get educated and that's true of math and history and so many things. Now, with Artificial Intelligence, AI, it's even better."

According to him, one could do a lot, including debating the late Isaac Newton and simplifying complex things "like you can say 'explain quantum to a sixth grader' and it does a very good job."

The Microsoft co-founder noted that artificial intelligence had taken the education tools for the motivated person to "a whole new level."

Arguing that a lot about education pertained to giving children confidence and meeting them at their level, he said subjects, such as mathematics, that might be considered boring could be simplified.

He said: "We can help teachers crack the homework automatically. We can create personalised sets of questions for students. But when it comes to that motivation, when kids get discouraged or confused, we'll try and do some of that with the AI."

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