The Gates Foundation and OpenAI have announced a new initiative, Horizon1000, to support the use of AI in primary healthcare systems in several African countries, starting with Rwanda.
The partners will provide $50 million in funding, technology and technical support, with the aim of reaching 1,000 primary healthcare clinics and their surrounding communities by 2028.
Bill Gates and OpenAI detailed the announcement in separate articles, framing the effort as a way to reduce gaps in access to healthcare and digital technology between high-income and low- and middle-income countries.
Both organizations highlighted the ongoing shortage of healthcare workers in Sub-Saharan Africa as a major challenge. The region has a shortfall of over 5 million health workers, contributing to heavy workloads and variability in care quality.
Rwanda, where the initiative will be piloted first, recently launched an AI-powered Health Intelligence Center in Kigali as part of broader health system reforms. The country has about one healthcare worker per 1,000 people, well below global benchmarks. Horizon1000 aims to support national efforts to explore how AI tools can assist with clinical guidance, administrative tasks and more consistent primary care delivery.
The partners stressed that the program is intended to support, not replace, frontline health workers. Examples discussed include tools to help clinicians follow treatment guidelines, reduce documentation burden, improve consistency of care and provide digital tools to help patients navigate their own care.
OpenAI and the Gates Foundation said the initiative will involve collaboration with government leaders, medical professionals and local innovators, with the goal of moving AI technologies from pilot projects into routine use.
Progress will be assessed based on whether these tools meaningfully improve patient care and the daily work of health professionals.
Both organizations described Horizon1000 as an early effort to translate recent advances in large language models and machine learning into tools that are reliable and safe for routine care, particularly in resource-constrained settings.
Recent work from other parts of the region shows how AI is already being applied in specific public health contexts. In Kenya, researchers reported in 2025 that machine-learning models could predict child malnutrition several months in advance, supporting earlier identification of at-risk communities.
Broader analyses indicate that generative AI adoption is growing across Africa. McKinsey has reported that over 40% of organizations on the continent are experimenting with or implementing these technologies.
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