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Microsoft founder Bill Gates has said Africa�s development would depend on whether its leaders would learn from each other and from their own people. �Africa is now in an incredible position to shape its own destiny for the better for one very simple and powerful reason: the countries of Africa are learning from each other,� he said. Bill Gates, co-chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said this when he addressed students of Addis Ababa University where he was presented with an honorary degree. The world�s richest man acknowledged development gains made through foreign governments, international aid and non-profit organization such his Foundation and said �the real fuel for development will be the resources of African nations themselves � whether that�s in the form of government funding, private-sector investment, or just plain human creativity at all levels of society.� He said this was where African countries learning from each other become so important. �If you want to spend your national budgets as effectively as possible, there is now a clear path for doing exactly that � and Africans themselves are defining that path, for others to follow if they choose,� he said. Bill Gates spoke about the importance of health and agriculture and commended the government of Ethiopia for its Health Extension Program and the establishment of its Agricultural Transformation Agency. �If you get health and agricultural development right, the gains are exceptional, and they reverberate through the rest of your economy for decades to come,� he added. He also praised Liberia, Malawi and Tanzania for the great progress made in cutting child mortality rates but acknowledged that there wass still a long way to go before Africa reaches its full potential. �There is no path to lasting growth within Africa that is not widespread growth. It�s not possible. If Africa seeks prosperity, it must provide for the health and nutrition of all � including the poorest.� The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works with partners in Africa to make smart investments so that together they can achieve real and lasting impact for those with the greatest challenges. The foundation�s investments range from cutting edge research in health and agriculture in the world�s most high-tech laboratories to innovative approaches to delivering basic public goods and services to families and communities. The Foundation�s efforts cover nearly all of its key programme areas such as agriculture, family planning, financial services for the poor, HIV, malaria, polio, and vaccines delivery.