It was a privilege to spend the afternoon with Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub OM and his distinguished colleagues, learning in detail about the Rwanda–Egypt Heart Centre as it approaches completion in Kigali.

For me, this visit represented a continuum of more than three decades of commitment to children’s heart health: from supporting Save A Child’s Heart Nigeria through the Lifestream Charity since 1995, helping Nigerian children access life-saving treatment in Israel; to championing rheumatic heart disease as a maternal, newborn and child health priority through global RHD Action; to advancing equitable cardiovascular care for women, children and families through the Wellbeing Foundation Africa today.

Conceived as Rwanda’s first dedicated cardiac hospital, the Rwanda–Egypt Heart Centre will provide free diagnosis and treatment for congenital and acquired heart disease, while also strengthening the country’s capacity for specialist cardiac care, training, education, and research into neglected cardiovascular conditions affecting the region. It embodies the future we have long worked towards: high-quality, locally led care rooted in African excellence, enduring partnerships, and sustainable health systems.

Professor Yacoub remains one of the most distinguished cardiothoracic surgeons of our time, whose pioneering work in heart transplantation and paediatric cardiac surgery has shaped cardiac medicine across generations. Through his visionary leadership, he has championed a model of sustainable, locally led excellence in cardiovascular care across Africa. As Founder of the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation and Vice Chair of the Rwanda Heart Care and Research Foundation, he has helped build a family of philanthropic cardiac institutions spanning the Aswan Heart Centre in Egypt, the Cardiac Centre in Addis Ababa, and now this remarkable new centre in Kigali.

What I valued most during the visit was the depth of the South-South partnership that has carried this project forward. With the Governments of Rwanda and Egypt, the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development, Chain of Hope UK, and a wide constellation of clinical and philanthropic partners each contributing, the Centre reflects a powerful model of African-led and African-owned healthcare delivery.

This speaks directly to the Wellbeing Foundation Africa’s belief that closing the distance between declaration and delivery in health requires sustained investment in specialist infrastructure, frontline professionals, research, and cross-border partnerships that place local African ownership at their centre.

Having supported Save A Child’s Heart Nigeria through the Lifestream Charity since 1995, we also explored where our current Wellbeing Foundation Africa work in maternal, newborn and child health, rheumatic heart disease, and childhood cardiovascular care might intersect with this important initiative. I look forward to seeing this institution open its doors to families across Rwanda and sub-Saharan Africa who have waited far too long for care of this calibre closer to home.

May this remarkable centre help mend little hearts, strengthen health systems, and inspire a new generation of African excellence in cardiovascular care.