Wingcopter hopes to Establish Networks of 12,000 Delivery Drones in Africa
by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby
Wingcopter, a leader in drone delivery, announced today the formation of a partnership with Atlantic Trust Holding subsidiary Continental Drones Ltd. in order to help establish delivery networks of thousands of drones throughout Africa, both strengthening existing supply chains and creating entirely new ones.
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Under the partnership, Continental Drones has become a Wingcopter Authorized Partner (WAPP) for all 49 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The two companies seek to deploy 12,000 Wingcopter 198 delivery drones across the continent over the course of the next five years, which would be the largest ever commercial deployment in the global delivery drone industry.
Many African regions lack sufficient infrastructure for universal health coverage and economic development. The establishment of extensive drone delivery networks across African airspace helps to remedy this problem by building a new transport framework that serves as a more efficient, affordable alternative to ground-based infrastructure.
The development of these networks will allow governments and the private sector to bypass limited infrastructure even in remote locations. By providing an on-demand delivery service for medicines, vaccines, and essential goods, Wingcopter’s technology will be used to improve the lives of millions of people, as well as potentially escalate economic development by creating thousands of new jobs to operate these networks. The fully electric Wingcopter 198 also builds towards a more sustainable African logistics sector and helps push economies closer to net zero emissions.
“Together with Wingcopter, we are committed to accelerate the development and economic integration of Africa by enabling the creation of drone-based delivery networks across the continent,” said Alexander Asiedu, Founder of Continental Drones and Chairman of Atlantic Trust Holding. “With our longstanding business experience on the ground and Wingcopter’s best-in-class drone technology, these networks offer a real chance to fuel economic development and help improve the livelihood of millions. African nations show true leadership by implementing this cutting-edge technology for the better of their people and generations to come.”
“This agreement and trustful partnership is a real game-changer, positioning Wingcopter and Continental Drones at the top of the drone delivery industry,” said Wingcopter Co-Founder and CEO Tom Plümmer. “Wingcopter is well positioned to execute against the tremendous opportunity of drone delivery in the next decade. We are convinced that our cooperation with Alex and his Continental Drones team will unlock the African drone delivery market on a large scale, allowing us to jointly improve and save millions of lives.”
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Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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