Construction of Africa’s first drone port is scheduled to start at the end of this year in Rwanda, with two more planned for launch by 2020.
The project, dubbed Afrotech, is being spearheaded by Swiss research university École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, and London architects Foster & Partners.
Afrotech’s first phase, Red Line, aims to deliver blood and medical supplies to remote populations. The first Red Line drones will carry 10 kg payloads up to 100 km. By 2025, the project aims to have 6m-wide drones carrying up to 100kg, reports online magazine, Supply Management.
The second phase, Blue Line, will focus on offering an affordable delivery option, mainly for e-commerce. Afrotech director, Jonathan Ledgard, was cited by Supply Management as saying that he believed that Blue Line would become a multi-billion dollar industry and account for about 10-15% of Africa’s transport sector.
