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European leaders are deepening the migrant crisis by being too generous to those arriving on the continent, Microsoft founder, Bill Gates has warned.
He said countries such as Germany will not be able to handle the ‘huge’ numbers of migrants waiting to leave Africa and find a better life overseas.
MailOnline reports that the 61-year-old billionaire suggested spending more on foreign aid to treat the root causes of migration, while making it more difficult for people to reach the continent.
Speaking in an interview with the German Welt am Sonntag newspaper, with a translation published by Breitbart, he said: “On the one hand you want to demonstrate generosity and take in refugees.
“But the more generous you are, the more word gets around about this — which in turn motivates more people to leave Africa.
“Germany cannot possibly take in the huge number of people who are wanting to make their way to Europe.’
Mr Gates praised Chancellor Merkel’s commitment to spending 0.7 per cent of GDP on foreign aid as ‘phenomenal’, and asked other European leaders to follow suit.
But he added: ‘Europe must make it more difficult for Africans to reach the continent via the current transit routes.’
His own foundation has spent years and invested hundreds of millions of dollars to fight poverty and disease in Africa.