Rwanda starts construction of first BSL-3 laboratory to detect animal-origin diseases

By Elias HAKIZIMANA.

Rwanda has begun constructing a state-of-the-art laboratory that will strengthen the country’s ability to detect and respond to diseases that spread from animals to humans — a major step in national and regional pandemic preparedness.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at RAB headquarters in Rubirizi.

The project is led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) through RAB, in partnership with the Ministry of Health (MINISANTE), with funding from The Pandemic Fund exceeding $24 million.

The new facility will operate at Biosecurity Level 3 (BSL-3), replacing Rwanda’s outdated BSL-2 laboratory built in 1983, which no longer met international standards for handling high-risk pathogens that threaten humans, animals and the environment.

Once completed, the lab will detect deadly zoonotic diseases more accurately and much faster, supported by ISO 17025 certification and continuous quality inspections.

Agriculture and Animal Resources Minister Dr. Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe said the lab will deliver highly reliable diagnostic results. “Given its infrastructure and skilled staff, we are confident this facility will provide trusted, world-class results,” he said.

Health Minister Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana noted that the new lab will end Rwanda’s reliance on foreign testing. “Some samples, especially from animals and high-risk wildlife areas, had to be shipped abroad, which delayed results and increased costs. A country should not have to outsource such critical diagnostics,” he said.

He added that delayed testing often slowed down outbreak detection: “Sometimes humans were already falling sick while animals living with them had carried the disease long before. This will now be solved.”

The laboratory will also boost research capacity, support university training and strengthen Rwanda’s ability to collaborate internationally on high-level scientific work.

The launch comes weeks after the Ministry of Health rolled out e-IDSR, a new electronic disease surveillance system that tracks outbreaks in humans, livestock and wildlife in real time. Combined with the BSL-3 facility, Rwanda aims to significantly improve early detection and response to pandemics.

Zoonotic diseases previously recorded in Rwanda include COVID-19, Marburg, and Rift Valley Fever.

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