Kigali — Zipline has announced a major expansion of its drone-based healthcare delivery services in Rwanda following significant financial support from the United States government, reinforcing Rwanda’s position as a continental leader in the use of advanced technology to strengthen public health systems.
Jean Pierre Kayitana, CEO of Zipline Rwanda, said the US government has awarded Zipline International $150 million to support the expansion of drone delivery services across Africa, with Rwanda once again positioned at the forefront of implementation.
“At Zipline, we are extremely grateful for the grants extended by the US government awarded to Zipline International to support the expansion of drone delivery services for healthcare in Africa,” Kayitana said. “The other good news is that Rwanda, as usual, is first in line with the government of Rwanda.”
As part of the expansion, Zipline Rwanda has signed a new agreement with the Government of Rwanda that will extend drone delivery services to previously underserved areas of the Western Province. The move is expected to significantly improve access to essential medical supplies for remote and hard-to-reach health facilities.
The US-backed support also includes a separate Memorandum of Understanding valued at $228 million between the US government and Rwanda’s Ministry of Health. Kayitana described the combined financing as a practical example of “commercial diplomacy,” where American technology is deployed to strengthen national systems while deepening bilateral economic ties.
“This award to Zipline of $150 million for Africa in the five countries, alongside another MOU of $228 million to the government of Rwanda, Ministry of Health, is coming in a form of commercial diplomacy where we bring more and more American technology to strengthen the health system of Rwanda,” he said.
Zipline has operated in Rwanda for nine years, initially focusing on emergency and life-saving deliveries such as blood. Over time, its role has expanded significantly as the health system embraced drone logistics as a core distribution mechanism.
“Over the past nine years, the health system has actually realized that it’s no longer just for emergency and life-saving products like blood,” Kayitana noted. “We can intervene in distributing vaccines equally, decentralizing immunization at health posts, delivering nutrition products, and a wide range of medical products because it’s cheaper, efficient, responsive, and available.”
Beyond Rwanda, Kayitana said the model developed in the country is now informing Zipline operations internationally, including in the United States, where Rwandans are increasingly taking leadership roles within the company.
“Today we have a few Rwandans who are leading projects in the United States in places like Texas and San Francisco,” he said, adding that these experiences have been shared through platforms such as the American Chamber of Commerce in Rwanda.
Kayitana also acknowledged the role played by the US Embassy and the American business community in Rwanda in shaping the expansion strategy, describing the collaboration as a blueprint for other American firms operating in the country.
“We have received a lot of support from our embassy and from the chamber here in Rwanda while we were brainstorming about this model,” he said. “Any American company operating in Rwanda can actually leverage this kind of approach as a new way of doing things in the spirit of commercial diplomacy.”
The latest expansion further cements Rwanda’s reputation as a testing ground and launchpad for innovative health technologies, while positioning Zipline as a central player in the transformation of healthcare logistics across Africa.
