Kagame made the remarks on Wednesday, October 28, during the second meeting of the AI for Good Global Commission, which he co-chairs alongside Marc Benioff, CEO and co-founder of Salesforce.
The virtual meeting brought together Benioff, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, who serves as vice-chair, and other commissioners to review progress and discuss the next steps towards ensuring AI delivers economic and social benefits worldwide.
“The objective of this commission is to ensure that AI reaches everyone, everywhere without exception,” Kagame said.
He noted that AI continues to evolve and that its benefits would grow if people from different backgrounds had a voice in determining how the technology develops.
“The benefits of AI will also compound if we all have a voice in shaping the future of this new technology,” he said.
Kagame urged commissioners to continue asking difficult questions and commit their time, expertise and resources to finding practical solutions.
“As a commission, our job is to keep asking the hard questions and commit our time, expertise, and resources to find practical solutions,” he remarked, expressing confidence that the commission had the capacity to achieve its objectives.
The President also said Rwanda was ready to champion the commission’s AI for Good in Action initiative, through which some of the country’s existing initiatives could be scaled up.
“Rwanda is also ready to champion the work under the AI for Good in Action where some of our initiatives as a country can be scaled,” he added.
The meeting comes as Rwanda advances plans to strengthen its national AI capabilities, including the establishment of the National Artificial Intelligence Agency.
Rwanda advances its AI agenda
On Tuesday, October 27, Kagame appointed three senior officials to lead operations, delivery, and strategy and partnerships at the agency.
Olivier Twagirayezu was appointed Chief Operations Officer, Jessica Ingabire Chief Delivery Officer, and Robert Kayinamura Chief Strategy and Partnerships Officer.
The appointments follow Cabinet approval in June 2026 to establish the agency, which is expected to coordinate AI development, innovation, investment, adoption and governance in support of Rwanda’s digital transformation and economic growth.
Its mandate includes government transformation, research, skills development, AI ethics and safety, industry development, commercialisation and international partnerships.
Rwanda has been positioning AI as a tool for improving public services and supporting economic development, with initiatives spanning healthcare, agriculture and public administration.
The commission, meanwhile, seeks to bring together leaders from government, business and international organisations to identify practical ways to expand access to AI, strengthen trust and ensure the technology contributes to development across countries and communities.
Kagame was appointed co-chair alongside Benioff when the commission was announced by the ITU in July 2026. Bogdan-Martin serves as vice-chair.
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