Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates has led by any measure a highly eventful life—but says no year was more “difficult” or “unusual” than 2021. The world’s No. 4 richest person (worth&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/bill-gates/?list=rtb/&amp;sh=4a6148f0689f">nearly $139 billion</a>,&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;estimates) opened up about his personal struggles—including his headline-making divorce from Melinda French Gates—in a year-in-review post&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/Year-in-Review-2021?WT.mc_id=20211207100000_YIR2021_BG-TW_&amp;WT.tsrc=BGTW" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday to his blog, GatesNotes.&nbsp;



The typically upbeat Gates struck a somber tone in his lengthy annual post, describing 2021 as “an incredibly hard year for many people, including me.” While admitting he’d rather focus on his work over the past year, Gates recognized the national curiosity around his divorce, which was announced suddenly in May after 27 years of marriage, and offered some insight into his feelings since.&nbsp;



“Melinda and I continue to run our foundation together and have found a good new working rhythm,” Gates wrote of the pair’s continued work with their nonprofit, the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation. “But I can’t deny that it’s been a year of great personal sadness for me. Adapting to change is never easy, no matter what it is.”&nbsp;



One of the biggest changes has been spending “stretches of time without any face-to-face interactions,” said Gates, describing himself as an “empty-nester” thanks to the departures of his two youngest children, Phoebe and Rory. His third child, Jenn, recently&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2021/11/28/north-salem-billionaires-dirt-road-wes-edens-jamie-dinan-larry-fink-georgina-bloomberg-david-letterman-richard-gere-andmore/?sh=1c2f810e3bef">married</a>&nbsp;equestrian Nayel Nasser in an event Gates deemed “the highlight of [his] year.”&nbsp;



Though “the house is a lot quieter without a bunch of teenagers hanging around” and it’s easier to focus on doing work or reading a book (a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/11/22/these-are-bill-gates-5-favorite-books-of-2021/?sh=2fe79508bb7c">favorite hobby </a>of his), Gates said he misses having his children around. “It’s a strange and disorienting experience,” he wrote. “My personal world has never felt smaller than it did over the last twelve months.” 



All in all, it was a year of “big transitions” for the Microsoft billionaire, but that was far from the only thing on his mind. Gates said he spent a lot of time thinking about the long-term impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, including what he fears to be a dangerous decline in people’s trust in public institutions, a trend he attributed in part to the lack of regulation of social media platforms and the spread of disinformation.&nbsp;



“Based on what I’ve seen over the last couple of years, I’m more worried than I’ve ever been about the ability of governments to get big things done,” Gates wrote, adding that he is particularly concerned because of the need for governments to take action on challenges like avoiding a climate disaster or preventing the next pandemic. The billionaire, who is writing a book on pandemic preparedness, said this topic is the “biggest and most important thing I’m working on in 2022.”&nbsp;



On a more positive note, Gates expressed optimism and excitement about technological advancements sparked by the pandemic that he thinks have the potential to revolutionize healthcare, education and office work. For example, Gates said he expects most work meetings will be taking place within&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2021/11/03/zuckerberg-facebook-metaverse-meta-virtual-reality-oculus/?sh=50af824d6b69">the metaverse</a>&nbsp;using 3D digital avatars within the next two or three years.&nbsp;



&nbsp;“As unbelievable as it sounds, we’re only starting to see how digitization is going to change our lives,” he wrote. “There is so much potential for technology to create more flexibility and options for people.”&nbsp;



As for when coronavirus-related disruptions may end, Gates predicted the “acute phase” of the pandemic will come to a close “some time in 2022.” He recognized the newly emerging Omicron variant as “concerning,” but said “the world is better prepared to tackle potentially bad variants than at any other point in the pandemic so far.” In the future, Gates said he expects communities to see occasional outbreaks. However, “new drugs will be able to take care of most cases and hospitals will be able to handle the rest.”



By Jemima McEvoy, Forbes Staff

2019 New York Times Dealbook

Bill Gates Reflects On His Divorce, Being Alone During Covid And The ‘Most Difficult’ Year Of His Life

In an exclusive with FORBES AFRICA from Seattle in the United States, Melinda French Gates speaks about the billions pledged to support women and combat Covid-19, and the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation’s new Goalkeepers Report that features an updated global dataset explaining the pandemic’s adverse impact on progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.



Q. How can the world collectively come together to combat the shadow pandemic that women and girls are grappling within Africa, in the wake of Covid-19?



A. Even a cursory look at the latest data shows us how devastating the pandemic has been for women, particularly when it comes to the economy. This year, women’s employment globally is expected to remain 13 million jobs below the 2019 level — while men’s employment is largely expected to recover to pre-pandemic rates.



The reason for these striking gaps is that women have long faced barriers to economic participation – and those barriers have only worsened amid the pandemic. For example, women have a harder time accessing finance and credit than men, and they are disproportionately employed in sectors that have lower pay.



The evidence leaves us no doubt: With women making up 50% or more of the workforce in many African countries, we can either take action now or risk facing decades of growth-restricting inequality.



And if we want to avoid that fate, leaders must prioritize women within pandemic recovery planning and policy-making, and donors and global institutions must further expand their support for women-focused programs.



For example, our foundation recently pledged $2.1 billion to support women’s economic and health issues, which we hope will be just one piece of a larger puzzle. Our hope moving forward is that governments, philanthropies, non-governmental organizations, and everyone looking to improve their corner of the world will join us in supporting the empowerment of women and girls. It’s a step that will ultimately pay off for everyone, everywhere.



Q. What are the foundation&#8217;s plans for Africa in the coming months?



A. Our foundation has worked in partnership with African countries for decades, and the more than $1.9 billion we’ve contributed to the global effort to combat Covid-19 is just the latest part of that commitment. We believe strongly that all people deserve to benefit from the innovations and science developed to respond to the pandemic and save lives. Right now, the lack of equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines is standing in the way of our ability to put the pandemic behind us.



In this year’s Goalkeepers Report, we explain how Covid-19 vaccine access has been strongly correlated with the locations where there is vaccine R&amp;D and manufacturing capability. Though Africa is home to 17% of the world’s population, for example, it has less than 1% of the world’s vaccine manufacturing capabilities. That’s why we’re supporting the Africa CDC and African Union’s vision to create a sustainable regional vaccine development and manufacturing ecosystem in the region. These investments in low- and middle-income countries — which are too often left waiting for life-saving interventions— would better protect communities and families from diseases like Covid-19 in the future.



Our foundation is also committed to investments in Africa because we’ve seen the impact of African innovations on many health and financial challenges. As your magazine recently noted, the continent’s diversity and ingenuity inspires resilience and optimism for the future.



For example, one of South Africa’s leading scientists, Dr Penny Moore, discovered that a coronavirus variant first found in her country could circumvent the immune system. Another example we highlight in the report is Senegal. The country led an incredibly effective campaign to ensure forward momentum on routine immunizations, helping health workers adapt their strategic outreach to their communities during the pandemic.



With more forward-thinking, long-term investments in Africa and by continuing to encourage local innovation, we will all benefit from improved health security and pandemic preparedness moving forward.

Tag: Melinda and Bill Gates

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Bill Gates Reflects On His Divorce, Being Alone During Covid And The ‘Most Difficult’ Year Of His Life

‘A Step That Will Ultimately Pay Off For Everyone, Everywhere’- Melinda French Gates In Exclusive Interview