Zipline, a drone-based medical supply delivery company, has partnered with Nigeria’s Kaduna state to begin deliveries of medications, blood products, and Covid-19 and other vaccines.

The company reported that its cold storage capabilities are well equipped to deliver the Covid-19 vaccines and that it is in talks with other Nigerian states about delivering vaccines and other medical items.

The company also announced that it is in negotiations with a Covid-19 vaccine manufacturer to conduct drone-based vaccine deliveries in Zipline’s other markets including Ghana, Rwanda, and the US. Zipline has reported deliveries of more than a million doses of non-Covid vaccines in Africa in 2020 alone.

Zipline primarily operates in Rwanda, where it delivers medical supplies to remote health facilities. It also has operations in Ghana, India, and the Philippines. Zipline has also run pilot operations in North Carolina since 2019 in partnership with companies including Novant Health and Walmart.  Overall, the company has completed more than 100,000 commercial deliveries to date (mostly in Africa), making it one of the most advanced startups in the drone delivery space.