A number of  major US retailers, including Amazon and Walmart are gearing up for remote package delivery operations using unmanned aerial aircraft in 2023. But thousands of miles away, in Africa, Zipline has been conducting drone-based medical supply delivery operations for years – in impoverished Rwanda, for the past six.  And now the Silicon Valley based company is about to expand those Rwandan operations to include non-medical supplies, including financial statements and household goods.  The six-year deal, inked last week, will allow for expanded nationwide drone deliveries – about 2 million total, compared to 450,00 currently – through 2029.

Zipline’s success is due, in part, to its decision to operate in a country where the humanitarian need is overwhelming and where regulatory rules are far less strict.  Zipline also piloted its operations in some of Rwanda’s most remote and inaccessible areas, and once successful began expanding to other rural areas.  By one estimate, more than three-quarters of all emergency medical supplies – including vaccines and blood plasma – delivered outside of Rwanda’s capital of Kigali are carried by drones operated by Zipline.

Zipline also recognized the need to build up Rwanda’s own drone capabilities to help foster self-sufficiency.   Sensitive to the old colonial legacy of foreign powers dominating and exploiting the African continent for their own benefit, Zipline helped a local start-up get off the ground and begin drone delivery supply operations of its own.  Rwanda’s drone industry, while still fairly small, is fast becoming one of the most advanced in the region, thanks, in part to Zipline.

Zipline also partners with governments in several other African countries, including Ghana and Nigeria.  In Ghana. Zipline operates 30 drones out of four medical supply distribution centers that make 600 flights daily from 2,000 health facilities.  About 12 million people are served by Zipline’s  network – which also includes a local partner, Zumia – making it the largest drone delivery supply system in the world.

Zipline’s success has certainly impressed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has extended approval to the company to begin medical supply delivery operations in partnership with two hospitals in the vicinity of Salt Lake City, Utah.  Once again, Zipline is starting small, with remotely piloted operations in the concentrated area of Salt Lake City Valley.  Eventually, with further testing and additional FAA regulatory approval, these operations might be conducted autonomously and extended to Salt Lake City as a whole.

Zipline’s long-standing drone success contrasts sharply with that of Amazon and Walmart, which are just now launching their first package delivery operations.  Amazon has struggled for nearly a decade to field a drone that could deliver books and household supplies from its extensive merchandise catalog.  And Walmart is finally getting off the ground in 34 different sites in six states, including most recently Florida (Tampa Bay) and Texas (Dallas-Ft. Worth).

Zipline’s focus on life-saving humanitarian relief in respectful partnership with local communities has made it a consistent winner from the beginning.  It’s now poised to make even greater gains – not only abroad, but at home.

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