Paul Kagame

Paul Kagame (born 1957) has led Rwanda since the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, formally as president since 2000, rebuilding the country around a technocratic development model that markets Kigali as Africa’s Singapore. Technology has always been central to that brand — and he has moved to make Rwanda the continent’s AI convener.

The Kigali summit

On April 3, 2025, Kagame opened the inaugural Global AI Summit on Africa in Kigali, drawing thousands of delegates from over 100 countries. His message was double-edged: AI is a chance for Africa to leapfrog, but only on foundations the continent still lacks — he was blunt that “without reliable high-speed internet and power supply, artificial intelligence cannot be deployed,” and urged going “back to the drawing board” on connectivity. The summit produced the Africa Declaration on AI, with commitments toward a continental AI fund. Rwanda itself adopted a national AI policy in 2023, positioning itself as a testbed for AI in health care, agriculture and public services.

In 2026 Kagame took the agenda global, joining the AI for Good Global Commission — joking that he had thought he needed a break before accepting the new AI role. He has also sounded notes of caution, warning it would be “a dangerous place if we involved artificial intelligence too much in our politics.” His critics point out the irony of a leader accused of suppressing dissent and surveilling opponents championing a technology that makes both easier; his supporters answer that African AI capacity built anywhere beats dependence built everywhere.