Gates began his engagements by visiting a syringe manufacturing plant in Rwamagana District, one of the facilities supporting efforts to increase Africa’s capacity to produce essential medical supplies locally.
During his visit, IGIHE has learnt, Gates is also expected to tour Mwulire Health Centre and meet with a community health worker to gain insights into how Rwanda’s healthcare system delivers services from the grassroots level.
The visit is a personal one for Gates, who has kept a relatively low-profile approach during his engagements. People who have interacted with him described him as approachable despite his global influence.
His schedule includes meetings with different stakeholders, including an engagement at a hotel in Rwamagana.
The facilities and initiatives he is visiting are among areas supported by the Gates Foundation, where he serves as Co-Chair.
The TKMD syringe manufacturing plant, located in Mwulire Industrial Park, Rwamagana, was inaugurated in April 2025. It started operations with the capacity to produce between 600,000 and one million syringes daily.
The factory employs 110 people, with women accounting for about 80 percent of its workforce. Before being distributed, the syringes undergo quality checks to ensure they meet international standards.
The first batch produced by the plant was purchased by UNICEF and supplied to countries including Ethiopia, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique.
According to CNBC Africa, TKMD has produced more than 22 million syringes since 2024 and secured a UNICEF contract to manufacture an additional 150 million units. Local production is expected to reduce delivery times to countries across East, Central and Southern Africa by up to 90 percent.
Gates has previously highlighted the importance of strengthening local manufacturing capacity, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in global supply chains for vaccines, medicines and other essential health products.
He said African countries’ difficulties in accessing critical medical supplies during the pandemic showed the risks of relying heavily on distant manufacturers.
Ahead of his visit, Gates told CNBC Africa that Rwanda’s progress has been driven by long-term investments in people, strong institutions and effective delivery of services rather than a single innovation.
He pointed to major improvements in health outcomes since 2000, where the number of Rwandan children dying before the age of five has declined by 80 percent, while deaths among women from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth have fallen by 85 percent.
According to Gates, these gains have been supported by investments in primary healthcare, community health workers and institutions such as the Rwanda Biomedical Center.
The visit comes months after Rwanda was selected as the first beneficiary of Horizon1000, a $50 million (about Rwf 72 billion) artificial intelligence health initiative launched by the Gates Foundation and OpenAI to support African countries in using AI to strengthen healthcare delivery.
The initiative, announced in January 2026, aims to help deploy AI tools across 1,000 primary healthcare clinics and surrounding communities by 2028, with a focus on improving access to quality care and supporting healthcare workers.
Rwanda was selected partly because of its investments in digital health and innovation, including the establishment of an AI health hub and the launch of an AI-powered Health Intelligence Center.
During his interview, Gates said AI has the potential to address some of Africa’s biggest challenges, including health worker shortages and limited healthcare infrastructure.
He stressed that the technology should support, rather than replace, healthcare workers by helping them make better decisions and improve service delivery.
The American philanthropist said he was looking forward to meeting government leaders, frontline health workers, innovators, researchers and students to better understand Rwanda’s approach to using technology and partnerships to improve lives.
For more than two decades, the Gates Foundation has partnered with Rwanda and other African countries to support efforts aimed at strengthening health systems and advancing development priorities.
“I’m looking forward to the conversations ahead, and to learning more from the people and institutions helping shape Africa’s future,” Gates said.
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