Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame says artificial intelligence could contribute as much as 5 percent of Rwanda’s GDP, positioning the technology as a core driver of Africa’s economic transformation. He made the remarks at the 2025 Transform Africa Summit in Conakry, where he outlined how AI could reshape key sectors including healthcare, education, and agriculture, as stated in his official address published on paulkagame.rw.
Kagame stressed that Africa’s success with AI will depend on strategic deployment rather than speed, noting that “success … will depend on which problems we choose to apply it to,” in comments reported by The New Times. He highlighted the need for purpose-built AI solutions that address Africa’s development priorities.
Rwanda has already laid important groundwork through its national AI policy, alongside ongoing investments in digital infrastructure, capacity building, and data governance frameworks. Kagame reiterated these points in his speech, according to paulkagame.rw, describing them as essential foundations for extracting long-term economic value from AI adoption.
He also welcomed recent institutional milestones within the Smart Africa Alliance, including the establishment of the Africa AI Council and the AI Fund, which he said would play a central role in accelerating AI readiness across the continent. These initiatives were referenced in Kagame’s published summit remarks, underscoring a coordinated continental approach to scaling emerging technologies.
Together, Rwanda’s national strategy and Africa’s regional momentum signal a broader shift: AI is no longer viewed as a distant aspiration but as an immediate economic tool capable of shaping the continent’s next phase of growth.
