Healthtech Startup Zipline Authorized To Operate Remote Drone Delivery Services In Ivory Coast

The National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) of Ivory Coast has granted Zipline’s unmanned aircraft system a flight authorization certificate. This now allows it to use drones to deliver basic commodities, such as medical supplies, to health facilities in communities authorised by the Ministry of Health.

The Certificate of Automated Aircraft Operators (CEAT), which is required for the flight of any automated aircraft in the country, was awarded at a ceremony attended by the Ministers of Transport and Health, Public Hygiene, and Universal Health Coverage. Côte d’Ivoire aspires to be a West and Central African air hub, which will necessitate the construction of aeronautical and airport infrastructure.

“It is a difficulty that the ANAC has just succeeded in issuing this certification, which is a first in French-speaking Africa,” said Mr. Diop Boubakar, the Ministry of Transport’s spokesman. Partnership This certification is the result of close collaboration between ANAC, the various entities of the State of Côte d’Ivoire, and the local authorities of Daloa (west of Côte d’Ivoire), who were able to visit the technological complex and assess the benefits to the health sector and the national economy.

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With this approval, this company specialising in immediate logistics will be allowed to formalise its cooperation with the Ministry of Health and commence air delivery of important medicinal items to various health centres throughout the country.

“Through this collaboration, we hope to support the government and the Ministry of Health’s vision of creating universal access to health products, thereby eliminating all barriers to access to critical medicines,” stated Mrs. Donpedro Yemisi, Director General of Zipline in Ivory Coast. Mr. Koffi Konan, Acting Director General of ANAC, thanked the company for “taking the initiative to partake in this certification procedure”.

To operate in Ivorian airspace, ANAC had to undertake a flight route analysis. The firm and the Ministry of Health, Public Hygiene, and Universal Health Coverage have agreed to create four operations centres that will cover the majority of the country through a memorandum of agreement. A drone delivery service The first centre, which should be operational in the coming weeks, is in Daloa. Biankouma in the Tonkpi region, Katiola (centre-north) in the Hambol region, and Bondoukou in the Gontougo region are the other sites planned (East Ivorian).

“We hope to partner with the Ministry of Agriculture to address the distribution of animal health goods after the automated delivery of health products,” stated Ms. Donpedro Yemisi. 

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The company is already assisting Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, the United States, Japan, and Kenya with the supply of important commodities such as health supplies, e-commerce, and animal health.

It now works on three continents and performs two-minute deliveries on behalf of businesses and governments. To far, the firm has delivered over 4,050,000 packages, sold over 5 million things, and driven over 40 million kilometres autonomously. According to industry estimations, each flight generates around 30 times less CO2 per kilometre than an average electric vehicle and up to 98% fewer CO2 emissions than a combustion engine vehicle. This logistics system is utilised all around the world to help the medical, healthcare, and retail industries. It permits the delivery of blood, vaccines, Covid-19 supplies, prescriptions, internet commerce and retail items, food, and human and animal health products.

Zipline Ivory Coast Zipline Ivory Coast

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert. 
As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard