Meeting on 8 June 2026 under President Paul Kagame, Rwanda’s Cabinet approved the creation of a National Artificial Intelligence Agency, the country’s first institution fully dedicated to this technology and mandated to steer AI development and adoption across the economy.According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the new agency will be responsible for promoting innovation, attracting investment and strengthening AI governance in both the public and private sectors.

Government presents the decision as a continuation of its National AI Policy, adopted in 2023, which aims to position the country as an African hub for responsible AI by investing in skills, research and data infrastructure. Cabinet indicates that the National AI Agency will accelerate AI development, adoption, investment and governance in order to support Rwanda’s digital transformation and economic growth.  This institutional upgrade is designed to move from a written strategy to a centralised execution capability.

“Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to dramatically improve lives and livelihoods across the Republic of Rwanda …” — Ministry of ICT and Innovation, National AI Policy, MINICT

A key pillar of the National AI Policy

In its National AI Policy, the Ministry of ICT and Innovation (MINICT) states that Rwanda’s vision is to become a global centre for AI research and innovation, with a mission to leverage AI to power inclusive economic growth and improve quality of life. The strategy sets out six policy areas, from skills development to data governance, and foresees a gradual increase in the maturity of AI use across public administration and essential services.  The new agency is expected to act as the operational arm of this roadmap, rationalising a landscape that has so far been fragmented across several entities.

According to the Cabinet decision, the National AI Agency will coordinate public and private initiatives, support the emergence of local AI solutions and ensure that ethical principles are respected in AI deployment, particularly in government services, health, education and agriculture. The structure will sit at the centre of the country’s digital governance architecture, with a mandate to monitor and evaluate projects aligned with the National AI Policy.

A dense ecosystem that needs structuring

In February 2026, Rwanda’s Health Ministry and other public entities signed a three‑year memorandum of understanding with US-based company Anthropic to deploy AI tools in health, education and selected public services, including access to the Claude model and API credits for government development teams. The partnership is meant to support health goals such as eliminating cervical cancer and reducing malaria and maternal mortality, illustrating the highly applied orientation Kigali is giving to AI.

A policy brief released by the United Nations Development Programme in 2026 notes that Rwanda is rapidly positioning itself as a continental leader in AI, underpinned by the National AI Policy, data protection legislation and institutions such as the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Rwanda. Recent scientific analysis also highlights Kigali’s objective for AI to become a significant contributor to gross domestic product in the near term, with a focus on research, policy analytics and monitoring and evaluation of public programmes.  In this context, the agency fills a coordination gap as hubs, training programmes and international partnerships multiply.

For investors: a single interface with the state

Authorities present the new agency as a focal point for investors and partners wishing to co‑finance AI solutions. It is part of a broader rise in local initiatives targeting health, agri‑tech, fintech and digital public services. By centralising project preparation and evaluation, the agency is also expected to reduce administrative friction for private players who previously had to navigate several sector ministries.

The UNDP stresses that the credibility of Rwanda’s AI strategy will depend on the state’s ability to align regulation, incentives and investment in skills so as to attract high‑value projects rather than symbolic pilots. Experts on Rwanda’s science systems likewise underline the need to strengthen links between research labs, start‑ups and public administrations to bring AI use cases to scale.  The agency is expected to play this interface role, arbitrating between rapid experimentation and the requirements of data sovereignty.

Next steps: governance, budget and roadmap

The Cabinet communiqué leaves the detailed governance, staffing and funding of the National AI Agency to be set out in subsequent regulations and possibly legislation. The first priorities mentioned include delivering the flagship projects identified in the National AI Policy and supporting line ministries in selecting high‑impact use cases.  For financial actors and regulators, the key watch‑point will be the publication of an operational roadmap and multi‑year budget, which will reveal the real level of ambition behind this new centrepiece of Rwanda’s digital apparatus.