Kigali, 5 February, 2020: The President of the Republic of Rwanda, H.E. Paul Kagame officially inaugurated a 3-day African Drone Forum (ADF 2020), which brought together over 800 stakeholders from 44 countries. The forum is of its kind, convened in Rwanda’s Capital Kigali from 5-7th Febuary,2020, at Convention Centre.

According to the President, Rwanda has already reaped the benefits of using drones in the health and infrastructure sectors –a sign that other African countries can adopt and embrace the use of drone technology for socio-economic development. He further noted that, as Rwanda and African countries move to adopt the use of drone technology, there should be considerations to design and manufacture Unmanned Aerial Vehicles on the continent.

“We are already seeing some of the benefits, not to mention the even bigger potential that lies ahead. The use of drones to deliver life-saving blood products and vaccines to remote health Centres, is already a reality in Rwanda, through our partnership with Zipline”, he added.

While rooting for the use of drones, another application which is already in use in Rwanda involves the inspection of power transmission lines from the air, to help make the electricity grid more reliable, plus a pilot project to test the effectiveness of drones for mosquito spraying.

There is so much that can be done with this technology. The African Drone Forum therefore comes at the right time in a bid for African countries to fully adopt the use of drones in development.  President Kagame said that there is a need for countries to put in place policies and regulations that promote innovation rather than slow it down. Restrictions on the usage of drones for security reasons in some African countries has been blamed for the slow adaptation of drone technology.

“Our experience in this sector has been that the priorities of safety, security, and innovation can all be effectively catered for, within the regulatory framework,” the President added allaying any fears of security threats.

It very substantial to continuously invest in physical infrastructure and human capital, to go hand-in-hand with the adoption of drone technology. He pointed out that beyond limiting themselves to using drones, African countries can also design and manufacture drones on the continent, as demonstrated by examples at the forum.

Similarly, the cross-border cooperation is essential, indicating to the drone flying competition that preceded the forum in the Western Province District of Karongi. The flying competition illustrated how much there is to gain, by fostering regional cooperation in the sector. The African Drone Forum is about turning challenges into opportunities and create a mindset that says that it is all possible.

Minister of Infrastructure, Hon. Claver Gatete, urged to aviation leaders, experts in unmanned aircrafts, manufacturers, regulators and science and technology students from across the country, region and world, that the forum provides an environment for technology demonstrations and discussions of how to create an enabling regulatory and policy ecosystem to unleash the social and economic benefits of drone technology while maintaining public safety. He said among other things, discussions will centre on how African countries can unlock lower skies and make drones the future of food and medical deliveries as well as using drones in agriculture and other sectors. Adding that, the drone competition in Karongi will test the abilities of drone experts and also demonstrate how drones can be used to address socio-economic challenges.

Minister Gatete said that for the last three years Rwanda has been using drone technology, there is no society or security incident that has been registered, which should allay any fears for those who are yet to fully embrace drones. “New technologies of drones, robotics and digital fabrication hold huge prospects for economic development, solving social challenges and match the needs of emerging African market opportunities” Minister Gatete stressed during the event.

The Regional Director, World Bank, Franz Drees-Gross, alleged that the World Bank supported the first drone forum on the continent because Africa is on the rise with growing economies and young populations. Profound democratic shifts will shape the next decade. Cities in Africa are growing very fast and by 2035, half of Africa’s population will live in urban areas.For many countries, the labor force is also doubling with millions of young people seeking jobs.A key challenge in this demographic transition is to ensure that growth is broadly shared and that rural areas, where the majority of Africa’s poor live, aren’t left behind,” Gross said.

Forecasts by the World Bank suggest that, even with the significant shift in policy, extreme poverty will still be in the double digit in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030, despite it dipping to low single digits elsewhere in the world. “82 percent of the people living in extreme poverty in Africa still live in rural areas. So what we all seek together, is a future that brings opportunities to the young and to those in rural areas,” he said recognizing the role of the African Union in harnessing policies that encourage the use and adaptation of new technologies that will fast track development on the continent.

The ADF was organised in collaboration with the World Bank Group and partners including UK AID and the World Economic Forum. The event is exploring what a future unbound by surface infrastructure could look like, how drone technology can promote development and increase access to essential services and opportunities for the African people. The 2020 African Drone Forum comprises a Symposium, Expo and Flying Competitions that will take place in Karongi District from 8 – 15 February, 2020.