Drone-logistics company Zipline on September 22 signed an 8-year extension of its Côte d'Ivoire partnership, committing to build nine additional distribution centers and put roughly one-third of the West African country's population within reach of same-day medical drone delivery.
Scaling A 3-Year Pilot Nationwide
The 8-year deal builds on a 3-year pilot launched in 2023 from a single hub northwest of Abidjan, which has already delivered nearly 4 million health products — vaccines, blood, medication and lab samples — to more than 200 rural facilities. Under the extension, Zipline will fly to roughly 12 million people, or about a third of the Ivorian population.
Government-Funded, ROI-Framed
The Ivorian government will pay operating costs — warehousing, cold-chain management and digital tracking — while Zipline runs the flight and dispatch stack. Communications Minister Amadou Coulibaly said the goal is a "regular and secure supply" to hard-to-reach areas, and Zipline projects a 3x return on the government's investment through avoided stock-outs and faster clinical response.
Zipline's Global Push
The Côte d'Ivoire deal lands as Zipline is in talks to raise roughly $1 billion at a $20 billion valuation, and while the FAA continues to sit on the long-awaited Part 108 rulemaking. The extension echoes the operator's Uber tie-up and rolling U.S. suburb launches, and cements Africa as its most mature commercial market.
Reporting based on coverage from Semafor.