Zipline, a drone-based medical supply delivery company, has partnered with Cross River State in Southern Nigeria to begin deliveries of routine and emergency medications, vaccines, and blood products, claiming to be the first of its kind in the region.

The company plans to build two distribution centers in the state operating around the clock to deliver products to more than 1,000 health facilities that serve millions of people statewide. The development of the first distribution center would begin immediately, with plans to be completed within six months.

The news comes three months after the company entered Nigeria, in partnership with the state of Kaduna in Northern Nigeria, to make medical supply deliveries. 

Zipline primarily operates in Rwanda, where it delivers medical supplies to remote health facilities. It also has operations in Ghana, the US, India, the Philippines, and Japan. Zipline has run pilot operations in North Carolina since 2019 in partnerships with companies including Novant Health and Walmart.  Overall, the company has completed more than 130,000 commercial deliveries to date (mostly in Africa), making it one of the most advanced startups in the drone delivery space.