Celebrating Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana: A 2025 TIME100 Next Leader Transforming Rwanda’s Health System

TIME named Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, Rwanda’s Minister of Health, to its 2025 TIME100 Next list, honoring the world’s most influential rising leaders shaping the future. It is an extraordinary recognition of Rwanda’s remarkable progress in building one of the most equitable and resilient health systems in the world.

In the words of Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation, who authored the TIME profile:

“If you want to quickly learn how a country’s health system is doing, you only have to look at two indicators: maternal and child mortality. Over the past 25 years, Rwanda has made stunning improvements on these metrics.”

Those improvements did not happen by chance. They came from leadership that embraces innovation, data, and partnership, and from a national vision that refuses to leave anyone behind.

For nearly 10 years, Zipline and Rwanda’s Ministry of Health have worked together to reimagine how life-saving medical products reach people across the country. Rwanda was the first nation in the world to launch drone delivery for health logistics, and is the only country in the world operating autonomous, on-demand delivery at national-scale.

Today, Zipline serves 27 of Rwanda’s 30 districts, delivering to over 900 health facilities, delivering products on-demand to health facilities and community health workers.

From blood and vaccines to critical medicines, Zipline is now the sole supplier of more than half of all medical SKUs distributed by the government supply chain. The results are transformative:

Behind these statistics are mothers who survived childbirth, children who received timely medicines, and communities that can now count on essential care being available when it is needed most.

As Rwanda’s health system grows stronger, it is also growing smarter. Today, the Ministry of Health is bringing together data from across the system from where products are moving, to where patients are treated or referred, to where diseases are spreading into a single, real-time dashboard.

Zipline is integrated into this system alongside other key data sources, giving the Ministry a clear, live view of how the health system is performing, where health events may be emerging, and how the country is responding.

It’s a simple but powerful idea: use data to see the whole system, make faster decisions, and deliver better care for every Rwandan.

The impact of this partnership extends far beyond the health sector. Rwanda and Zipline have demonstrated how health innovation can also strengthen economies.

Hundreds of local, high-tech jobs have been created across Zipline’s Rwandan operations, from engineering to flight operations to health logistics management. Each delivery not only saves lives and reduces costs but also fuels new opportunities for training, innovation, and employment.

Today, Zipline’s instant logistics network helps Rwanda save money, save lives, improve health access, and improve health outcomes — all of which drives economic growth. Healthier communities are more productive communities, and a stronger health system creates the foundation for development.

Rwanda is showing the world how to create a healthier, more prosperous nation.

Dr. Nsanzimana’s recognition is not only a moment of pride for Rwanda. It is a signal to the world that health equity is possible when innovation, leadership, and commitment come together.

Rwanda’s approach, which combines visionary leadership with cutting-edge technology and strong community health systems, offers a blueprint for other countries seeking to create affordable, highly responsive national health systems.

As Prof. Ozonnia Ojielo, UN Resident Coordinator in Rwanda, shared:

“Through innovative projects and programmes implemented in close partnership with the Government of Rwanda, we are directly addressing bottlenecks in the health sector and accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.”

At Zipline, we are deeply honored to be part of this journey. Together, we have shown what is possible when governments and innovators share a simple goal: creating a healthcare system that serves all people equally.

Congratulations, Dr. Nsanzimana. Your leadership inspires us and the world.