NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 22 — Rwanda has become the first African nation to partner with OpenAI and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in a landmark initiative that will deploy artificial intelligence to strengthen primary healthcare systems across the continent.
The $50 million (Sh6.5 billion) programme, dubbed Horizon 1000, was unveiled on Tuesday as a pilot project that will launch in Rwanda before being scaled to other African countries.
By 2028, the initiative aims to support up to 1,000 primary healthcare clinics and the communities they serve, combining funding, cutting-edge AI tools, and technical expertise.
Through the partnership, OpenAI and the Gates Foundation will provide financial backing and technology to help African health leaders move AI solutions beyond trials and into routine clinical use.
The focus is on practical applications that can ease pressure on overstretched health systems and improve the quality of care delivered at the community level.
Rwanda was selected as the pilot country due to its strong record in digital health innovation, a well-coordinated health system, and its readiness to translate AI from experimentation into real-world deployment.
Officials say the country’s experience integrating technology into community-based healthcare makes it an ideal testing ground for developing governance models and scalable solutions.
“Primary healthcare is the foundation of resilient health systems, yet nearly half of the world’s population still lacks access,” OpenAI said in a statement.
“The challenge is especially severe in sub-Saharan Africa, where a shortage of an estimated 5.6 million health workers places immense strain on doctors, nurses, and community health workers, contributing to uneven care and preventable deaths.”
The AI tools introduced under Horizon 1000 are designed to support—not replace—health professionals.
According to the partners, the technology will assist clinics in several ways including clinical decision support, reduce administrative workload, improved intake and referrals and expand access to health information.
By embedding these tools into everyday practice, the initiative seeks to translate recent advances in AI into solutions that work reliably in real-world health settings.
OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman said the true value of AI lies in its impact on people’s lives.
“AI is going to be a scientific marvel no matter what, but for it to be a societal marvel, we’ve got to figure out ways that we use this incredible technology to improve people’s lives,” he said.
The Horizon 1000 partners noted that success will be measured not by technological achievements alone, but by tangible improvements in patient outcomes and the daily experience of frontline health workers.
Rwanda has explored digital health and AI for several years, a factor that set it apart in the selection process.
However, the country is only the starting point.
Horizon 1000 is structured to expand across Africa, and countries with strong digital health ecosystems, such as Kenya are considered potential candidates in later phases
