Rwanda has placed technology at the center of national policy design, using artificial intelligence and drone systems to address persistent gaps in health care delivery, disease control, agriculture and education, the country’s minister for information and communications technology said during a panel at the World Economic Forum annual meeting.
Paula Ingabire, Rwanda’s minister of ICT, said technology adoption in Rwanda begins with identifying sector-level constraints and applying data-driven tools to reduce costs, improve access and strengthen public services.
She pointed to the use of artificial intelligence and drones to identify mosquito breeding sites and conduct targeted spraying, an approach authorities say has reduced malaria incidence in affected communities.
“What we did was, one, to use a combination of both AI and drones,” Ingabire said, describing how predictive modeling helps map high-risk zones while drones are deployed for spraying.
She added that decision-support tools used by community health workers, who manage most malaria cases nationwide, are improving diagnosis and treatment outcomes.
Ingabire also cited demand forecasting for medical supplies as a priority. Artificial intelligence-enabled market intelligence is being used to anticipate shortages and manage procurement timelines, addressing stockouts that have driven up prices and constrained access to care.
In maternal health, AI-assisted ultrasound tools have reduced unnecessary referrals by enabling earlier diagnosis at primary facilities.
The same problem-first approach has been applied in agriculture and education, Ingabire said, with government ministries working alongside private and development partners to co-design solutions aligned with national priorities.
She described sector ministers, including the health minister, as “digital ambassadors” who rely on data and evidence to guide interventions.
Rwanda has invested steadily in digital infrastructure and innovation over the past decade as part of its broader development strategy, positioning technology as a cross-cutting tool for public service delivery and economic resilience.
Ingabire said the goal is to embed these systems across government rather than treat them as pilot projects.
