Nigerian government, Zipline Collaborate on drone healthcare initiative

 

The Nigerian government is partnering with US-based drone technology company Zipline to revolutionise healthcare access and equity using advanced drone delivery systems.

The co-founder of Zipline, Keller Cliffton, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.

Cliffton said the partnership aimed at bridging healthcare gaps, enhancing infrastructure, and ensuring timely delivery of medical supplies across Nigeria.

The co-founder said the company, Zipline, was designed to enable access to vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations.

According to Cliffton, the company has delivered millions of vaccine doses, essential medicines, and more than 260 health products to more than 900 hospitals, health facilities, and community drop points.

He said that across Africa, the company had invested to build local infrastructure and human capacity, creating more than 500 local jobs in robotics, healthcare, software engineering, and business disciplines.

The Zipline boss said the partnership aimed at creating a sustainable financing framework to attract commitments from global health, economic development, and climate funders.

He said that this would enable it to establish autonomous drone infrastructure around the country in strategically determined locations.

The co-founder added that the partnership targeted enabling the operation of drone networks through hiring, training, and empowerment of local talents.

“It is the sort of partnership that brings tens of millions of dollars of foreign investment, turns Nigeria into a global artificial intelligence and robotics powerhouse and creates jobs of the future for its youths.

“Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has partnered with Zipline since 2016 and supports vaccine programs in Nigeria.

“Also, the Elton John AIDS Foundation has collaborated with Zipline in Kenya since 2022 to bring HIV services to young adults outside of traditional health settings.

“Together, they are seeding the vision for this new partnership in Nigeria by coming in as the first financial backers,” Cliffton said.

According to the Zipline boss, this underscores its commitment to innovative, collaborative approaches, using creative financing mechanisms to transform health outcomes for key communities, with a focus on young people.

Also, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Muhammad Pate, said: “Since coming into office, President Bola Tinubu has introduced a package of reforms to improve Nigeria’s security, strengthen public services, and bolster the business environment.

“In October 2023, he launched the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) to transform the country’s healthcare ecosystem.

“Under the leadership of National Coordinator, Dr. Abdu Mukhtar, PVAC is making strides to increase local healthcare manufacturing, reduce medical tourism, and create quality jobs in the nation.

“This new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Zipline will dramatically advance PVAC’s goals,” Pate said.

Pate noted that scaling Zipline’s infrastructure nationwide could digitise, modernise, equalise, and raise the quality of healthcare services available to all Nigerians.

He added that, at the same time, scaling Zipline’s infrastructure would also propel the country into a new era of economic prosperity.

He noted that with its zero-emissions, AI-powered logistics system and commitment to local job creation, Zipline had helped surmount obstacles to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The minister said that the benefits of on-demand drone delivery were more apparent in healthcare, encompassed by Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3).

“Today, in the areas that Zipline serves, a doctor or community healthcare worker can get blood, vaccines, drugs, and other medical supplies in as little as 10 minutes,” he said.

 

 

NAN