Stockholm, 22 January 2026 — A full day of high-level engagement in Stockholm marked a milestone in Africa–Nordics cooperation on global health, beginning with the inaugural Africa–Nordics Health Summit and followed by the Goalkeepers Nordics 2026, with Bill Gates. Together, the two events formed a seamless continuum—from strategic dialogue to global action—placing Rwanda’s leadership, partnerships, and health innovation at the centre of discussions.

The inaugural Africa–Nordics Health Summit co-founded by the Group of African Women Ambassadors accredited to Sweden and Chaired by The Ambassador of Rwanda, Dr Diane Gashumba, co-Chaired by the Ambassador of Zimbabwe, Prisicilla Misihairabwi Mushonga, Dalberg Media, The Danish Global Alliance for Global Health and Maternity Foundation and supported by The Global Financing Facility, Bill Gates Foundation, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, World Diabetes Foundation, , Novo Nordisk, and Laerdal Global Health convened 130 African leaders, Nordic governments, development partners, foundations, and civil society actors to examine how partnerships can be strengthened to deliver sustainable and catalytic impact in health. During a high-level panel on Nordic–African collaboration, Ambassador Diane called for honest dialogue that translates into action. She emphasized that African governments must lead in building resilient and accountable health systems, while Nordic partners bring added value through technology, innovation, and long-term partnerships. She further seconded the Elekta Foundation’s proposal for five Nordic countries to partner with five African countries to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer, underscoring the need to move from recommendations to concrete, multi-country initiatives capable of delivering measurable results.

Rwanda’s strong civil society engagement was reflected in the intervention of Marie Rose Kayirangwa, Country Director of Jhpiego Rwanda, who spoke from the perspective of implementing partners. She highlighted Rwanda’s maternal health achievements as the result of strong government leadership, clear national priorities, and accountability. She underscored Rwanda’s “one plan, one budget” approach—where all partners align behind nationally defined priorities—supported by coordination platforms, project monitoring, audits, and transparency. Calling for a shift from dialogue to delivery, she urged partners to present tangible outcomes at the next Africa–Nordics Health Summit in February 2027 in Kigali.

Following the Summit, discussions continued with the Goalkeepers Nordics event, which brought together leaders and changemakers from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark to celebrate leadership, innovation, and equity in advancing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The conversations were built directly on momentum from the Summit and the recent announcement by the Gates Foundation of a USD 50 million investment in various African countries starting with Rwanda to advance AI-enabled healthcare solutions. The investment reinforces Rwanda’s position as a leader in leveraging technology and artificial intelligence to strengthen health systems, address workforce gaps, and deliver people-centred care at scale.

The day concluded with a shared commitment to ensure that the next Africa–Nordics Health Summit in Kigali moves decisively beyond dialogue to delivery, presenting concrete results from strengthened partnerships, innovative financing, and technology-driven health solutions. As the Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda to the Nordic Countries continues to champion Africa–Nordics cooperation, the Stockholm engagements reaffirmed a shared ambition: transforming collaboration into measurable impact and shared vision into healthier futures.