President Paul Kagame has been recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) for his steadfast commitment to strengthening global systems that prevent and respond to pandemics.
The acknowledgment came on Thursday, July 10, during the first-ever WHO Pandemic Agreement meeting in Geneva, where WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus handed a certificate of recognition to Rwanda’s Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva, Urujeni Bakuramutsa, who received it on the President’s behalf.
According to a post shared by Rwanda’s embassy in Geneva, the honour was given in appreciation of Kagame’s “leadership in advocating for a global legally binding instrument to strengthen prevention, preparedness, and response to health emergencies.”
President Kagame has consistently championed efforts to build stronger health systems, particularly in Africa, stressing the need for countries to take charge of their health security and development.
“The work to build our continent, including our health, cannot be outsourced to anyone else,” Kagame said earlier this year, while addressing a high-level meeting on domestic health financing in Africa.
The event took place on the sidelines of the 38th African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government Summit on February 14 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“Current events are therefore an invitation for us to take full ownership of our challenges and find alternative ways of addressing them,” he added, emphasizing local collaboration and innovation.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rwanda has been an active voice in global forums discussing the future of health systems, advocating for more equitable partnerships between countries and international organizations.
President Kagame has also stressed the importance of building local capacity in healthcare—particularly in medicine and vaccine production. Rwanda is already taking steps in this direction, including partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies like BioNTech to establish vaccine manufacturing plants in the country.
Prince Ruzigana / The kaminuza Star