Contributor: John Bishop
New technologies hold great promise to revolutionize and accelerate development in Africa. Keller Rinaudo shared the story of his company’s rollout in Rwanda, and discussed how new drone technologies are saving lives and creating employment opportunities for Rwandans.
Key Points:
· Africa can be the disrupter. There is a common misconception that Africa will be left behind by disruptive technologies, but Rinaudo’s experience with Zipline in Rwanda contradicts this mindset. He sees Africa as a frontier for entrepreneurial spirit and opportunity.
· Zipline’s story. Using autonomously operated electric fixed‑wing aircraft, Zipline delivers vital medical supplies—primarily blood—from distribution points throughout Rwanda. Demand for blood is difficult to forecast, making stockouts a common problem for healthcare providers in Rwanda and across the globe. Zipline’s aircraft allow doctors to order blood as required and have it delivered within an hour—saving lives and money. At present, 25 percent of Rwanda’s blood supply outside Kigali is delivered by Zipline’s aircraft.
· Only entrepreneurship can solve Africa’s problems. Rinaudo emphasized that Zipline was not a philanthropic endeavor and that each of its distribution centers is economically sustainable. More broadly speaking, he argued that only entrepreneurship and capitalism can lift 1 billion people out of poverty and that “no amount of foreign aid will sustainably employ 250 million African youth.” The continent needs startups and new technologies to confront its challenges. However, the entrepreneurs behind many startups, and the investors who fund them, remain largely blind to the economic opportunity.
· Compounding gains. Through its partnership with Zipline, Rwanda now has an aerial logistics network that can empower and drive other parts of its economy. In addition, Zipline’s success in Rwanda has generated interest in other countries—most notably Tanzania, which has partnered with Zipline to create the world’s largest automated delivery network, which will deliver a wide range of medical products to more than 10 million people and 1,000 health facilities.
Quotes:
“Africa can be the disrupter. Small, agile countries can leapfrog over the absence of legacy infrastructure and go straight to better solutions.” Keller Rinaudo
“The only way we’re going to solve problems on a global scale is with scalable business models and new technology, because we’ve been trying old technologies for fifty years and it’s not working, so we should be looking for new solutions.” Keller Rinaudo
“It only takes one country to be a role model for the next country and the next country after that.” Keller Rinaudo
