Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates will deliver the 14th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture on 17 July, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the University of Pretoria announced on Tuesday.

Gates, 60, who co-chairs the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will address the theme “Living Together” in his lecture, which will be delivered at the University of Pretoria’s Mamelodi campus.

The annual lecture is one of the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s flagship programmes. It is meant to raise topical issues affecting South Africa, Africa and the rest of the world, and encourages both local and international dialogue — often about difficult subjects — as a means to address the multiple and complex challenges that face the world, the foundation said.

Previous speakers have included former US President Bill Clinton (2003), Archbishop Desmond Tutu (2004) and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet (2014).

In the foundation’s statement, Gates said: “It’s an incredible honour to be invited to deliver this year’s Nelson Mandela Lecture. President Mandela will be remembered for generations to come for his courage, his vision and his relentless pursuit of equality and justice.

“I believe, as he did, that progress is possible. We can help people everywhere live healthier, more productive lives — if we make sure that innovation reaches everyone who needs it.” — (c) 2016 NewsCentral Media