As African countries seek new ways to strengthen healthcare systems through technology, health officials and experts from seven nations are studying Rwanda’s digital health data model, which uses artificial intelligence and data analysis to support faster and more informed health decisions.
Delegates from Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and Zambia are in Rwanda for a two-week learning program focused on the National Health Intelligence Center (NHIC), a platform that collects, integrates and analyzes health information from across the country.
The visit, which began on July 13, 2026, is aimed at helping the participating countries understand how Rwanda uses digital tools to turn health data into information that can guide policy decisions, improve healthcare planning and strengthen responses to public health challenges.
Rwanda’s NHIC brings together data from community health workers, health posts, health centers, district hospitals, referral hospitals and private healthcare facilities, allowing health authorities to monitor trends and respond more quickly.
Health officials from the visiting countries said Rwanda’s experience offers important lessons as they work to develop or improve their own digital health systems.
Massoud Mohamed, an official from Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health, said Rwanda’s progress demonstrates the value of cooperation among African countries facing similar healthcare challenges.
“We are learning ways of solving challenges. Sometimes we find that we share the same problems and can exchange experiences,” Mohamed said.
He said Ethiopia is exploring lessons from Rwanda, including the use of digital systems in health facilities to reduce reliance on paper-based processes. The country aims to have 80% of health facilities using integrated digital systems by 2030.
Mohamed said Ethiopia is also studying the possibility of establishing a national health intelligence center that would help decision-makers rely on accurate and timely information. He noted that Ethiopia’s large population of more than 130 million people and extensive healthcare network present unique infrastructure challenges.
Siny Fall, an information technology specialist at Senegal’s Ministry of Health, said Senegal joined the program to learn how Rwanda collects information from different sources and uses it to improve healthcare services.
“We came to Rwanda to learn how the country established its center so we can build on those lessons and go beyond what Rwanda has achieved. It is important to bring together information from different sources and use it to guide decisions,” Fall said.
Rwanda’s Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, said the country’s investment in digital health is driven by the need to ensure that health decisions are based on reliable information.
“In healthcare, if you do not know the disease you are treating, it becomes difficult to find the right solution,” Nsanzimana said.
He said interest from other African countries shows that Rwanda’s digital health journey has attracted attention, although the country continues to improve its own systems.
“Although we are still building our capacity, there are people who appreciate what we are doing and come to learn from us,” he said.
Nsanzimana said NHIC has significantly reduced the time required to collect and analyze health information, allowing officials to understand health conditions across the country from a single platform.
The system provides information on issues including disease outbreaks, maternal health, births and other key health indicators that previously required lengthy data collection and analysis processes.
NHIC was officially launched by Rwanda’s Ministry of Health on April 3, 2025, during an international conference on the use of artificial intelligence in Africa.
The center is designed to help Rwanda make evidence-based decisions in healthcare and public health while supporting faster responses to emerging health challenges.
The participating countries hope lessons from Rwanda’s experience will help them strengthen their own digital health systems and improve the use of data in healthcare decision-making across Africa.
