Microsoft co-founder and global philanthropist Bill Gates has said artificial intelligence (AI) could significantly transform healthcare delivery across Africa by improving efficiency, quality of care, and access, particularly, in countries facing critical shortages of health workers.
Speaking on Friday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Gates said AI technologies are already being integrated into healthcare systems at the patient level, allowing individuals to describe their symptoms in local languages and receive more accurate and timely care.
According to him, AI-driven tools can reduce administrative workloads, enhance diagnostic support, and improve the organisation of medical resources, enabling healthcare workers to focus more on patient care.
Gates made the remarks while discussing the Horizon 1000 initiative, a $50 million project launched in partnership with OpenAI and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The initiative aims to support 1,000 primary healthcare clinics across Africa, with a key objective of improving care quality and, where possible, doubling clinic efficiency.
“The goal is to make the work there much higher quality and, if possible, twice as efficient as it is today,” Gates said.
He explained that AI could play a crucial role in easing pressure on overstretched healthcare systems by handling paperwork and providing decision-support tools in environments with limited medical personnel.
Rwanda is set to become the first beneficiary of the initiative. Gates described the country as a strong and reliable partner, noting that the programme would later expand to other African nations, including Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria.
Rwanda’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Paula Ingabire, highlighted the country’s growing use of AI across key sectors, including healthcare, agriculture, and education.
She said technology now sits at the core of Rwanda’s national policy and service delivery, citing the use of AI-enabled drones to map malaria hotspots, predictive modelling to identify mosquito breeding sites, and AI-powered ultrasound tools to improve maternal healthcare outcomes.
Ingabire added that community health workers who manage the majority of malaria cases annually are being equipped with AI decision-support tools to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
Beyond healthcare, she noted that Rwanda is applying AI-driven solutions to address challenges related to supply shortages, demand forecasting, and service delivery across other sectors.
Gates expressed optimism that the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence could enable developing countries to leapfrog traditional systems, potentially positioning them ahead of wealthier nations in certain areas of healthcare delivery.
“I would expect developing-world health may even get ahead of the rich world because the need is so great and governments are embracing this,” he said.
