Kaduna, a state in North-western Nigeria, has signed a deal with medical delivery firm Zipline to allow drone delivery of COVID-19 vaccines without significant state investment in cold-chain storage.
Reuters reports that the partnership with Zipline will also enable on-demand delivery of blood products, medications, and other vaccines.
“It will help ensure that millions of people in Kaduna State will always get the care they need,” Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai said.
Zipline said its end-to-end cold chain distribution capability, which can safely deliver even the Pfizer vaccine, would allow Kaduna health facilities to bypass purchases of ultra-low freezers and enable on-demand deliveries of precise amounts of COVID-19 vaccines.
The company said it is working with an unnamed “major COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer” to enable access to COVID-19 vaccine deliveries in all the markets where it operates. It currently offers drone delivery of blood, vaccines and other medical equipment in Ghana, Rwanda and the United States.
Zipline is also in talks with other states in Nigeria according to the report.
Kaduna services are slated to begin in the second quarter, with round-the-clock service from three distribution centers with 30 drones each.
