Rwanda is set to be the first country in the world to have 3 droneports to deliver medical supplies and electrical parts in remote areas on a massive scale. This is according to a statement by droneport project partners.
The project is a collaboration between Redline partners led by Afrotech, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL); the Norman Foster Foundation; and Foster + Partners.
“There will be about 2.2 billion people in Africa by 2050, or 1 in 4 inhabitants of the planet will be African. How can their infrastructure even think about keeping up with this expansion?” Lord Foster told the Telegraph.
The droneport is expected to be built within four years with 40 droneports set to be built across Rwanda.
“The specialist drones can carry blood and life-saving supplies over 100 kilometres at minimal cost, providing an affordable alternative that can complement road-based deliveries” the foundation said.
The droneports will be designed as a row of vaulted brick structures and will host a health clinic, a digital fabrication shop to make spare drone parts, a post and courier room, and an e-commerce trading hub.
The project aims to combat deaths from diseases such as Malaria, which kills 450, 000 people per year, attributed to a lack of blood available for treatment and Sickle Cell, the treatment for which requires regular and safe blood transfusion.
(Norman Foster Foundation and partners)
