Wingcopter to set up drone delivery network in Malawi, Africa
Wingcopter’s concept envisions setting up a locally operated delivery drone network in Malawi to support the local healthcare system, giving on-demand access to medical supplies such as COVID-19 test kits or vaccines (once available).
Wingcopter, developer of autonomous delivery drones for humanitarian and commercial applications, with its partners UNICEF and the African Drone & Data Academy (ADDA) developed the concept to use Wingcopter drones to improve health supply chains during Covid-19 and to open up new long-term opportunities for youth in Africa, and has been named one of nine winners of the #SmartDevelopmentHack.
Wingcopter’s concept envisions setting up a locally operated delivery drone network in Malawi to support the local healthcare system, giving on-demand access to medical supplies such as COVID-19 test kits or vaccines (once available). In parallel, the partners will build local capacity through two distinct training programs for 160 Malawian youth. Wingcopter will develop a virtual educational platform and provide selected students with applicable technical equipment and pre-installed software that requires no internet connection. By learning to assemble, operate, and maintain Wingcopter drones accompanied with data analytics skills provided by ADDA, Malawians will be equipped with the tools to pursue new entrepreneurial or job opportunities, granting them new economic perspectives.
After proving the concept’s viability and successful implementation in Malawi, Wingcopter and UNICEF plan to adapt the concept and scale to Rwanda.
Wingcopter has been active in Malawi and other African countries before, significantly shortening patients’ waiting times by delivering medical commodities to hard-to-reach areas by drone. The eVTOL drones combine the advantages of multicopters (vertical take-off and landing) and fixed-wing airplanes (fast and efficient forward flight) due to its patented tilt-rotor technology. At the point of destination, the drones can lower the transported goods through a winch mechanism, requiring no landing infrastructure, before autonomously returning to the point of departure.
Through this global hackathon, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) solicited innovative digital solutions to tackle the challenges caused by the coronavirus outbreak in low- and middle-income countries. The lineup of supporters included the European Commission (through EuropeAid), GIZ, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Smart Africa, Technical University Munich, Oracle, SAP, and others. Each winning team will be awarded up to €3 million to implement their projects in-country. The funds granted will be split between Wingcopter and UNICEF/ADDA.
“Wingcopter’s long-term strategy involves developing a sustainable education platform for youth to enable them to participate in the rapidly growing drone market, offering new job and income opportunities and ultimately improving their quality of life. By providing both theoretical and practical training on our drones, we will help young people to enter the industrial drone sector faster and better equipped. This concept is fully in line with our vision and we are happy that the award recognizes and supports this approach,” explains Tom Plümmer, co-founder and CEO of Wingcopter.
Only recently, Wingcopter won first place in the Emergency Delivery category at the World Bank-sponsored Lake Kivu Challenge in Rwanda, opening up further possibilities for future cooperation on the African continent.