{"id":2238,"date":"2026-07-09T09:46:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T09:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/?p=2238"},"modified":"2026-07-09T09:46:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T09:46:03","slug":"kagame-highlights-rwandas-ai-health-system-in-push-for-smarter-disease-surveillance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/09\/kagame-highlights-rwandas-ai-health-system-in-push-for-smarter-disease-surveillance\/politics\/international\/","title":{"rendered":"Kagame highlights Rwanda\u2019s AI health system in push for smarter disease surveillance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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President Paul Kagame has pointed to Rwanda\u2019s use of artificial intelligence in healthcare as an example of how technology can improve disease surveillance and help governments make faster, evidence-based decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at an international forum on artificial intelligence in Geneva, Kagame highlighted Rwanda\u2019s National Health Intelligence Center (NHIC), a platform that collects and analyzes health data from across the country\u2019s healthcare system using advanced technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The President said the system is helping Rwanda detect potential health threats earlier and strengthen decision-making by providing authorities with timely information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIn Rwanda, we have established a modern health intelligence center that collects real-time data across all levels of our healthcare system and uses AI to warn us about possible disease outbreaks. This helps us make better policy decisions,\u201d Kagame said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NHIC was officially launched by Rwanda\u2019s Ministry of Health on April 3, 2025, during an international conference on artificial intelligence in Africa hosted by Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The center was created to bring together health information from different parts of the healthcare system, allowing officials to track trends, identify risks and respond more effectively to public health challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its data sources include community health workers, health posts, health centers, district hospitals, referral hospitals and private healthcare facilities. The platform also processes information related to medicines, healthcare workers, patient transportation, disease patterns and population statistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health authorities can use the analysis generated by the system to produce reports that support faster decisions based on real-time evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda\u2019s wider AI ambitions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kagame said Africa must move beyond being only a user of technologies developed elsewhere and take a greater role in building solutions that address the continent\u2019s challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said African countries have the opportunity to contribute to the global digital economy by investing in innovation, infrastructure and skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe should invest in them, and it will benefit everyone. For AI to work for all people, we must use it properly in Africa and everywhere else,\u201d Kagame said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The President identified three priorities for Africa to maximize the benefits of artificial intelligence: expanding digital infrastructure, strengthening capacity for innovation and ensuring responsible use of the technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn Africa, we are no longer satisfied with simply being users of other people\u2019s technology. We also want to build, innovate and expand advanced technologies ourselves,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that young Africans are already developing technology-driven solutions to address challenges in different sectors, showing the continent\u2019s growing potential in the digital economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ensuring AI benefits everyone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During discussions to launch the AI for Good Global Commission, Kagame said the world is entering a new stage of technological development where connectivity alone is no longer enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the focus must now shift toward using data and artificial intelligence to improve essential services, including healthcare, education and energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cConnecting people is no longer the final goal. We have entered an era of development driven by data,\u201d Kagame said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the responsibility of the commission will be to ensure artificial intelligence reduces inequality rather than creating new gaps between communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The AI for Good Global Commission brings together 44 commissioners from different sectors around the world. It aims to identify practical ways of applying AI to address major global challenges and improve people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kagame also praised International Telecommunication Union Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin for her leadership in promoting global cooperation around the responsible use of technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He acknowledged that geopolitical competition has at times shaped the development and use of technology in negative ways but said artificial intelligence still offers significant opportunities to accelerate development and create solutions for people worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda\u2019s participation in the commission reflects the country\u2019s growing role in international discussions on artificial intelligence and its efforts to promote the use of emerging technologies in ways that support public services and economic development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Paul Kagame has pointed to Rwanda\u2019s use of artificial intelligence in healthcare as an example of how technology can improve disease surveillance and help […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,38,51,41,36,42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current_affairs","category-facts_on_rwanda","category-health","category-hot_topics","category-international","category-news_highlights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2238"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2242,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2238\/revisions\/2242"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}