by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M Crosby

June 3, instant logistics leader Zipline carried out its first series of drone deliveries in Nigeria’s Kaduna State, completing its integration with local health systems and regulatory authorities.

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“Zipline has a proven track record of health system transformation,” said Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai. “Today, we’re making our first flights to pave the way toward bringing this proven service to Kaduna State. We are proud to be the very first state in Nigeria to adopt this innovative supply chain to support our efforts in healthcare delivery. Zipline’s system is a powerful next step in Kaduna State’s ongoing efforts to create a smarter, stronger health system that better serves everyone in our state.”

Zipline will run three distribution centers within Kaduna State, with a reach of 46,000 square kilometers enabling the company to deliver to roughly 500 health facilities. Zipline will initially deliver over 200 different medical products, including medicines and vaccines, with plans to expand in the near future. Zipline will carrot over the COVID-19 vaccine distribution model that it developed while working with the Government of Ghana to complete over 1.2 million deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines. A recent independent study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, found that Zipline’s instant logistics system has had a major improvement upon the effectiveness at health facilities in Ghana.

“Investment in the supply chain makes health systems more efficient, effective and equitable,” said Amina Mohammed Baloni, Health Commissioner of Kaduna State. “Today’s flights are an important step toward ensuring people across Kaduna State have access to the care they need, precisely when and where they need it to drive better health outcomes and foster healthier communities.”

“Instant logistics enables governments and health systems to optimize their supply chains and reimagine how care is delivered,” said Daniel Marfo, Zipline’s Senior Vice President of Africa. “Today’s flights mark one more step toward unlocking these benefits for millions more people, and bringing us one step closer to effective, agile systems that better serve all people.”

With Zipline’s proven ability to work alongside governments to improve upon healthcare supply chains, Nigeria is its third national-scale operation in an African nation following its work in Ghana and Rwanda, and its fifth worldwide.

“With more than 315,000 commercial deliveries worldwide, Zipline has built an impressive record of safe, reliable, impactful service,” said Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, Lifetime Goodwill Ambassador of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and former President of ICAO Council. “Soon, the company is expected to bring this game-changing service to millions more people, and bring us one step closer to a world where anyone can get whatever they need, whenever and wherever they need it.”

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Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry.  Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.

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