Zipline said it has started operations in Kaduna State with the plan to deliver medical supplies to approximately 500 health facilities across the state in order to create a more agile, responsive, and accessible health system.
Speaking at the launch of Nigeria’s first drone delivery network in Kaduna State, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, governor of Kaduna State, who said that Zipline has a proven track record of health system transformation, added that the first flight of deliveries would pave the way towards bringing already 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 and stronger health system that better serves everyone in our state,” he said.
Daniel Marfo, senior vice president of Africa at Zipline, said instant logistics enables governments and health systems to optimise the supply chains and change how care is delivered.
According to him, the first set of flights marks one more step toward unlocking these benefits for millions more people and bringing Zipline a step closer to effective and agile systems that better serve all people.
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Marfo further said that Zipline has a demonstrated track record of working with governments and health systems to transform health supply chains to be more efficient, accessible, and sustainable.
“A recent independent study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, showed Zipline’s instant logistics system has significantly increased the availability, reliability, and range of inventory at health facilities in Ghana by addressing supply chain challenges,” he said.
Amina Mohammed Baloni, commissioner for Health, Kaduna State said that investment in the supply chain makes health systems more efficient, effective, and equitable.
Baloni said that the first set of flights would ensure that people across Kaduna State have access to the care they need, when and where they need it to drive better health outcomes and foster healthier communities.
“With more than 315,000 commercial deliveries worldwide, Zipline has built an impressive record of safe, reliable, impactful service,” said Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, lifetime goodwill ambassador of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Aliu, who doubles as the former president of the ICAO Council further said that the company is expected to bring this game-changing service to millions more people, and bring Kaduna one step closer to a world where anyone can get whatever they need, whenever and wherever they need it.
BusinessDay gathered that Zipline will operate three distribution centers across the state, covering an area of 46,000 square kilometers and delivering to approximately 500 health facilities serving millions of people.
The company will begin by delivering more than 200 different medical products including medicines and routine vaccines, with plans to expand. It will bring its proven Covid-19 vaccine distribution model to Nigeria, a model it pioneered in partnership with the government of Ghana.
The company, which has signed agreements with a number of other states with plans to launch later in the year, is expected to commence regular commercial operations in Kaduna State later this month.
Nigeria marks Zipline’s third country of operation in Africa following national-scale operations in Ghana and Rwanda, and it’s fifth globally.
