• Zipline, a drone-based medical supply delivery company, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Bayelsa state government of Southern Nigeria to deliver pharmaceutical products to residents within the state under a USD 5 million initiative dubbed “Health Supply Chain Transformation Project.”

• The partnership involves a consortium of organizations comprising Zipline, Sterling Bank, and healthcare companies Health Spaces and DrugStoc.

• Once fully operational, the authorities also hope to extend the service to nearby states as well.

<ul><li> Analyst QuickTake: Zipline entered the Nigerian market a year ago by partnering with Kaduna state, and expanded the service to include Cross River state in May 2021. Zipline is one of the most advanced startups in the drone delivery space, having conducted more than 250,000 commercial deliveries to date—mostly in Africa where its primary operations are. The company currently has commercial operations in several African countries including Rwanda and Ghana in addition to Nigeria.</ul>