President Paul Kagame met with philanthropist Bill Gates in Kigali on Monday to reaffirm cooperation on healthcare, agriculture, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital infrastructure, as Rwanda deepens its push to use technology to accelerate development.
The meeting focused on expanding the long-standing partnership between Rwanda and the Gates Foundation, with discussions centered on strengthening health systems, promoting agricultural innovation, advancing AI applications and investing in digital infrastructure to improve public service delivery, according to a statement from the Office of the President.
Gates is visiting Rwanda as part of a broader engagement with the country’s health and innovation sectors, which he has frequently cited as examples of how sustained public investment can improve development outcomes.
“Over the past 25 years, Rwanda has achieved some of the most impressive health gains anywhere in Africa,” Gates wrote in a post on social media during his visit. “The country demonstrates what is possible when governments invest not only in life-saving innovations but also in ensuring those innovations reach the people who need them most.”
The Gates Foundation has worked with Rwanda for more than two decades, supporting programs in public health, agriculture and digital innovation. The Foundation says its partnership has focused on expanding access to healthcare, improving agricultural productivity and strengthening the use of technology in public services.
Before meeting Kagame, Gates visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where he paid tribute to victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and praised Rwanda’s recovery and reconstruction in a message left in the memorial’s visitors’ book.
He also toured BioNTech’s vaccine manufacturing facility in Rwamagana District and was scheduled to visit Mwulire Health Centre and meet community health workers to observe how primary healthcare services are delivered at the community level.
The visit comes months after the Gates Foundation and OpenAI announced the Horizon1000 AI Initiative, a partnership aimed at expanding the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare across Africa. Rwanda was selected as the first country to implement the program.
Launched in January 2026 with funding of more than $50 million, the initiative aims to introduce AI-powered tools in 1,000 primary healthcare facilities across the continent by 2028. The project is intended to support healthcare workers by improving disease diagnosis, resource management and clinical decision-making rather than replacing medical professionals.
Rwanda has increasingly positioned itself as a regional hub for digital health innovation. The government has established the National Health Intelligence Center (NHIC) and recently created the National Artificial Intelligence Agency (NAIA) to expand the use of AI in healthcare and other sectors.
Monday’s meeting underscored the growing collaboration between Rwanda and the Gates Foundation as both sides seek to scale technology-driven solutions to improve healthcare, boost agricultural productivity and support sustainable development.
