The Ivorian government recently approved a public-private partnership with U.S. company Zipline to deploy 10 additional storage and distribution centers for medical products. The network is expected to deliver strategic medical supplies and blood products to health facilities in hard-to-reach areas. The U.S. government is supporting infrastructure costs, while the Ivorian government will fund service delivery.
From Blood Products to Commercial Parcels
The Côte d’Ivoire expansion follows a model Zipline has already deployed in several African countries, including Nigeria and Rwanda. The basic proposition is simple: drones can shorten delivery times for small quantities of goods sent to destinations where ground transport is slow, expensive or difficult to organize. But the sector is increasingly looking beyond healthcare. Zipline has also announced a partnership with Jumia to explore parcel deliveries in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria.
That push into commercial delivery comes after the United States announced in November 2025 a program that could mobilize up to $150 million to support the expansion of Zipline infrastructure in Africa. Zipline is not the only company operating dron...