By Muhammad Amaan
The United States and Rwanda have signed a new 5-year bilateral health cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), deepening a partnership aimed at strengthening Rwanda’s health systems and advancing the America First Global Health Strategy.
The agreement, valued at $228 million, was signed in Washington by Jeremy Lewin, Senior Official and Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom, and Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The MOU outlines a joint vision to save lives, bolster Rwanda’s health infrastructure, and reinforce global health security.
It marks the Department of State’s second bilateral health cooperation agreement under the current strategy.
Rwanda has made notable progress in combating HIV/AIDS, becoming one of the few countries to achieve the internationally recognized 95-95-95 targets for epidemic control.
The agreement seeks to build on that progress by transitioning from parallel NGO-led health delivery to systems increasingly led and sustained by Rwanda itself. By the fourth year of the partnership, Rwanda is expected to assume full ownership of its HIV/AIDS response.
Through the arrangement, and subject to congressional consultation, the United States intends to provide up to $158 million to support programs addressing HIV/AIDS, malaria, other infectious diseases, and the strengthening of disease surveillance and outbreak response.
In parallel, the Government of Rwanda has committed to increasing its domestic investment by $70 million, expanding its financial responsibility as U.S. support gradually tapers.
The partnership also advances American commercial engagement in Africa. It builds upon the Department’s recent award to Zipline International Inc., supporting the production of U.S.-made advanced robotics for delivering essential medical supplies.
Rwanda, an early adopter of Zipline’s technology, will operate and maintain the U.S.-funded infrastructure.
Additionally, the agreement includes $10 million for U.S.-based Ginkgo Bioworks to expand disease surveillance capabilities in Rwanda, creating a regional “biothreat radar” to monitor emerging outbreaks.
The framework also identifies areas for expanded U.S. private sector involvement, including research into next-generation HIV treatments and the development of artificial intelligence tools for healthcare delivery.
Today’s signing underscores the strength of the U.S., Rwanda relationship and both countries’ shared commitment to sustainable, efficient, and locally driven health systems, aimed at reducing dependency, curbing waste, and delivering long-term health gains.
In the coming weeks, the United States will continue signing additional multi-year Bilateral Agreements on Global Health Cooperation with partner countries as part of the America First Global Health Strategy.
