This partnership will boost medical supply deliveries in Rwanda

Zipline has announced an expanded partnership with the Rwandan government to boost medical supply deliveries in the country.

The partnership will allow government agencies including the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, the Ministry of Information Communication Technology, the Rwanda Development Board, the Rwanda Medical Supply, and the National Child Development Agency to access Zipline's services, which will include the delivery of medicine, medical supplies, nutrition, and animal health products.

The idea is to use Zipline to shore up Rwanda’s healthcare supply chain, address malnutrition and support the country’s eco-tourism industry, according to Rwanda Development Board CEO Clare Akamanzi, who touted this as a “national drone service.”

The logistics and drone delivery startup aims to complete nearly 2 million instant deliveries and fly more than 200 million autonomous kilometers in Rwanda by 2029. The partnership will add new delivery sites in rural and urban locations throughout the country and is expected to triple the delivery volume.

Zipline, which was founded in 2014 and has raised $486 million to date, already operates in Ghana, the US, Nigeria, and Japan, and is set to launch in Côte D'Ivoire and Kenya in the near future.

This marks the first time a government has enlisted Zipline to provide a national drone service, and the expanded partnership could help the company convince other countries to make similar nationwide partnerships.