Zipline, a health-tech drone-delivery company, has teamed up with the Federal Government to roll out drone delivery services nationwide in order to enhance healthcare accessibility.
The announcement of this collaboration is set to take place at the United Nations General Assembly on September 26, with the aim of addressing issues such as maternal mortality, malnutrition, and malaria.
The objective is to revolutionize healthcare access and equality in Nigeria by leveraging drone technology to enhance infrastructure and overcome obstacles to economic growth and development, as stated in a release sent to NAIJATRAFFIC.
Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, the CEO and Co-Founder of Zipline, applauded the government’s dedication to innovation, expressing that Nigeria’s venture into drone technology will save lives, generate employment opportunities, and stimulate economic progress.
Rinaudo emphasized the significance of partnerships that bring in substantial foreign investments, positioning Nigeria as a prominent player in Artificial Intelligence and robotics, fostering job creation for the nation’s youth, and reshaping the country and the global sphere in the years to come.
Under this collaboration, Zipline will establish independent drone infrastructure nationwide, resulting in the generation of numerous job opportunities in robotics, healthcare, software engineering, and various businesses.
Additionally, the Vaccine Alliance, GAVI, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation have pledged their support for the initiative, which is anticipated to draw in foreign investments and funding from global health, economic development, and climate organizations.
Since its launch in Nigeria in 2022, Zipline’s environmentally friendly and time-efficient aircraft have successfully delivered millions of vaccine doses, essential medications, and various health products to over 900 hospitals, healthcare facilities, and community drop-off points.
The company’s technology has shown remarkable success in Rwanda and Ghana, reducing blood wastage by 67% and increasing childhood vaccination rates by 21 percentage points.
Prof. Ali Pate, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, stated that this collaboration will enable the government to provide high-quality healthcare services to Nigerians, particularly in remote areas that are hard to access.
He highlighted that this partnership aligns with the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain, launched in October 2023 by President Bola Tinubu, with the goal of transforming Nigeria’s healthcare ecosystem.
“This new Memorandum of Understanding will dramatically advance PVAC’s goals. Scaling Zipline’s infrastructure nationwide can digitize, modernize, equalize, and raise the quality of healthcare services available to all Nigerians, while at the same time propelling our country into a new era of economic prosperity, climate resilience, and global technological leadership”, Pate noted.
