The National Drone Project Lead, David Manley, represented the Directorate of Science, Technology, and Innovation at the African Drone Forum (ADF) recently held in Kigali, Rwanda (February 5 -7, 2020).
The Forum was organized in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda, the World Bank Group, and partners including UK AID and the World Economic Forum. The first of its kind event explored how Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies like drones can improve citizen service delivery. The ADF focused on emerging transport technologies that can leapfrog the continent’s infrastructure deficit and address its public health and mobility challenges.
At the grand opening ceremony, H.E. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda encouraged Africans to design and manufacture drones with a focus on the continent’s needs and challenges and not just focus on its use.
The Government of Sierra Leone is at the forefront of Africa’s emerging drone industry. In November 2019, H.E. President Maada Bio launched West Africa’s first Drones for Good Corridor in Sierra Leone (only the second drone corridor on the continent). And earlier this year, a nurse at the campus clinic at Njala University in Southern Sierra Leone received the nation’s first medical drone delivery.
“What drives our work at DSTI is the belief that we can use technology to improve the lives of our citizens. Chief amongst the test cases being explored at the Corridor is blood delivery to health centers. Sierra Leone has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the world, an estimated 1,165 women die each year primarily because medical practitioners do not have the life-saving blood they need for high-risk pregnancies. Drones offer us the opportunity to solve these challenges,” said David Manley, DSTI’s National Drone Project Lead.
He presented Sierra Leone’s plan to expand the Drones for Good Corridor to include crisis response, data, and digital connectivity and aerial imaging for education. As well as the government’s efforts to support private sector involvement in the ecosystem for the development, deployment, and use of drones.
“Sierra Leone is taking leadership to work with partners including the World Economic Forum to develop the appropriate regulatory environment. We are committed to finding the right balance; technological advancements go hand in hand with safety and security,” said Manley.
On the sidelines of the ADF, Manley held meetings with two of the continent’s leading providers of medical supply deliveries; Zipline-a California based drone medical deliveries company with operations in Ghana and Rwanda, and Lifebank a digital blood bank saving lives in Nigeria. DSTI will continue to build relationships with local and global leaders as it fulfills its mission to make Sierra Leone a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Sierra Leone’s Drone Corridor is under the technical leadership of the Directorate of Science, Technology, and Innovation in partnership with UNICEF Sierra Leone, Njala University, and the National Civil Aviation Authority.