American robotics and logistics company, Zipline, entered a partnership with the Rwandan government to open new delivery locations in rural and urban areas across the country.
This is the first time a government is working with Zipline to provide a national drone service.
The partnership will see Rwanda complete nearly 2 million instant deliveries and fly more than 200 million autonomous kilometers by 2029.
The country will use Zipline to strengthen its healthcare supply chain, address malnutrition, and support its ecotourism industry.
Its deliveries in Rwanda will include medicine, medical supplies, nutrition, and animal health products.
Zipline’s operations were initially limited, launching in Rwanda.
Zipline partnered with the Rwandan government to launch a commercial drone service for the country, using its drones to deliver blood products to twenty hospitals and health centres throughout Rwanda.
It currently operates in Ghana, the United States, Nigeria, and Japan and will soon launch in Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya.
The company has grown its operational footprint and delivery volume in the last year.
In the last two years, Zipline has formed several alliances, indicating its desire to expand within and outside healthcare.