President Paul Kagame and Bill Gates, Founder and Chair of the Gates Foundation, have reaffirmed their shared commitment to expanding cooperation in healthcare, agriculture, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital innovation during high-level discussions held in Kigali as part of Gates’ official visit to Rwanda. The meeting underscored the long-standing partnership between Rwanda and the Gates Foundation and explored opportunities to accelerate collaborative initiatives that support the country’s national development agenda.
According to a statement issued by the Office of the President, Village Urugwiro, the discussions focused on strengthening existing cooperation while advancing new areas of collaboration. The Presidency stated, “President Kagame and Bill Gates discussed strengthening the Foundation’s longstanding partnership with Rwanda, including accelerating collaboration in health, agricultural transformation, artificial intelligence, and digital public infrastructure to advance Rwanda’s development priorities.” The dialogue reflects Rwanda’s continued emphasis on innovation, technology, and evidence-based investments to improve public services and drive sustainable economic growth.
Earlier in the day, Gates toured a vaccine manufacturing facility in Rwamagana District, one of several initiatives supported by the Gates Foundation to strengthen health systems across Africa. His visit also included plans to travel to Mwulire Health Center and meet with a community health worker, providing him with firsthand insight into Rwanda’s decentralized healthcare model and the role of frontline health workers in delivering essential services to communities. The visit highlighted Rwanda’s continued investment in primary healthcare and preventive medicine as pillars of its national health strategy.
Before his meeting with President Kagame, Gates paid tribute to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi during a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where more than 250,000 victims are laid to rest. After learning about the history of the genocide and Rwanda’s recovery journey, he signed the memorial’s visitors’ book, writing, “It is inspiring to see how Rwanda has rebuilt after the horrors of the genocide and is now building a strong nation. This memorial is essential to ensuring that the victims of the genocide are always remembered.” His remarks recognized both the importance of preserving historical memory and the country’s progress in rebuilding institutions and promoting national unity.
Ahead of his arrival, Gates explained that he hoped to better understand Rwanda’s development approach, particularly its long-term investments in people, effective public institutions, and community-based service delivery. He noted that Rwanda has achieved significant improvements in public health over the past two decades, including an estimated 80 percent reduction in deaths among children under five years of age and an approximately 85 percent decline in maternal deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth since 2000. Reflecting on these achievements, Gates said, “What inspires me is not a single initiative, but the way Rwanda’s long-term investment in its people, strong institutions, and community-centered service delivery is producing measurable and lasting results.”
Gates further emphasized that Rwanda’s progress has been supported by sustained investments in primary healthcare, the work of community health workers, and the strengthening of national institutions such as the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC). The discussions in Kigali reaffirmed a partnership centered on improving health outcomes, expanding agricultural innovation, leveraging artificial intelligence, and strengthening digital public infrastructure, reflecting a shared vision of using innovation and collaboration to advance inclusive and sustainable development in Rwanda.
