The Government of Rwanda on Friday, April 4, signed an agreement with the Gates Foundation to establish the Rwanda AI Scaling Hub. The initiative aims to accelerate the development and responsible deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in Rwanda and across Africa.

The agreement was signed by Paula Ingabire, the Minister of ICT and Innovation and Dr Trevor Mundel, President of Global Health at the Gates Foundation.

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According to the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, the signing of this agreement signals a shared commitment to building an African-led AI ecosystem.

"The Gates Foundation is pledging up to $7.5 million over the next three years to support the scale-up of AI innovation in Rwanda, with conversations ongoing around planning for similar hubs in countries including Senegal, Kenya, and Nigeria,” the ministry said in a statement.

The MoU was signed during the inaugural Global AI Summit on Africa, which was held in Kigali on April 3-4, and attended by over 1,000 global leaders, tech experts, entrepreneurs, and academics.

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According to the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, the Rwanda Scaling Hub will serve as a central platform to identify, develop, and scale high-impact AI solutions that address critical national challenges.

Minister Ingabire underscored that the AI hub will provide solutions starting with sectors including healthcare, agriculture, and education.

The new AI hub will be hosted by the Rwanda Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.