LONDON | Jan 21 (GeokHub) The Gates Foundation and OpenAI have launched a $50 million artificial intelligence partnership aimed at strengthening healthcare systems across African countries, as governments grapple with staff shortages, limited infrastructure, and shrinking international aid.
The initiative, called Horizon1000, will work directly with African governments and health leaders to design AI-powered tools tailored to local healthcare needs. The programme will begin in Rwanda, which has positioned itself as a regional hub for digital health innovation.
Bill Gates said artificial intelligence could help close critical gaps in healthcare delivery, particularly in low-income countries facing acute shortages of trained professionals.
“In places with limited infrastructure and too few health workers, AI has the potential to dramatically expand access to quality care,” Gates said in a blog post announcing the initiative.
Targeting Clinics and Community Care
Horizon1000 aims to support 1,000 primary healthcare clinics and surrounding communities by 2028, using AI to assist with diagnostics, patient triage, data management, and preventive care.
Rwanda last year established a dedicated AI health hub in Kigali, and the Gates Foundation has already backed several AI-driven health projects globally, laying the groundwork for the new collaboration.
Aid Cuts Add Urgency
The launch comes as many low- and middle-income countries face deep cuts to international aid, a trend Gates has warned could reverse decades of progress in global health. In December, he said funding reductions had contributed to the first rise in preventable child deaths in more than a century.
AI tools could help mitigate the impact of those cuts, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where the region is estimated to be short of around six million healthcare workers, according to Gates.
The partnership reflects a broader push by governments, foundations and technology firms to deploy AI beyond wealthy economies, focusing instead on systems where efficiency gains could have the greatest impact.
