Nigeria's Kaduna partners with Zipline for Covid-19 vaccine delivery
Nigeria’s Kaduna state has signed a deal with Zipline that will allow drone shipment of Covid-19 vaccines.
- Zipline is also in talks with other states in Nigeria.
- Kaduna services are slated to begin in the second quarter.
February 04, 2021: Nigeria’s Kaduna state has signed a deal with Zipline that will allow drone shipment of Covid-19 vaccines without significant state investment in cold-chain storage, the company stated, as per Reuters report.
Kaduna’s partnership with Zipline, which delivered more than 1 million doses of other vaccines in Africa over the past year, will also enable on-demand delivery of blood products, medications and other vaccines.
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 a “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.
Kaduna services are slated to begin in the second quarter from three distribution centres with 30 drones each.