New pay-for-performance method expands entry to blood and medicines for as much as 15,000 well being amenities, offering as much as 130 million folks with higher well being outcomes, saving lives and creating jobs within the U.S. and throughout Africa
The U.S. authorities helps upfront prices of producing and infrastructure growth, and particular person nations pays for Zipline supply companies
Zipline’s autonomous logistics system has helped docs save tens of hundreds of lives. Current analysis reveals Zipline’s service is among the many most price efficient public well being interventions ever studied
November, 2025 — Zipline, an American robotics firm that designs, manufactures, and operates the world’s largest autonomous supply system, at present introduced a landmark settlement with the U.S. Division of State to develop its life-saving drone supply service throughout Africa – a confirmed and extra reasonably priced method to enhance well being outcomes. At full scale, the partnership may triple the variety of hospitals and well being amenities Zipline serves (from 5,000 to fifteen,000) and supply as much as 130 million folks with instantaneous entry to blood and medicines.
Underneath a brand new pay-for-performance mannequin — a first-of its sort from the State Division — Zipline will obtain as much as $150 million to develop its AI and robotics infrastructure that permits African governments to offer 24/7 supply of important medical provides to hospitals and well being amenities. As consumers of the service African nations pays as much as $400 million in utilization charges. Funding can be launched solely when governments signal growth contracts and decide to pay for ongoing logistics companies to make sure long-term sustainability.
“We began Zipline to construct a logistics system that serves all folks equally. In the present day the U.S. authorities is doubling down on our work, and utilizing our AI, robotics and autonomous logistics system to enhance well being outcomes,” stated Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, CEO and Co-Founding father of Zipline. “For years presidents and prime ministers have informed me they need the perfect of what America has to supply: innovation, jobs and twenty first century know-how to leapfrog into the long run. That has at all times been America’s distinctive worth proposition and at present, the State Division is making that occur.”
“This partnership is an instance of the progressive, results-driven partnership on the core of the America First overseas help agenda. With modest U.S. capital funding help, these 5 nations will develop into accountable for sustaining and persevering with to spend money on a transformative American-built well being commodities provide chain community,” stated Underneath Secretary of State for Overseas Help, Humanitarian Affairs and Non secular Freedom Jeremy Lewin. “By strategically deploying help sources to catalyze non-public capital, incentivize native buy-in, and champion American companies, President Trump’s overseas help agenda is bringing growing economies into the twenty first century and serving to America win the race for the applied sciences of tomorrow on the identical time.”
Scaling Confirmed Impression Poor logistics hinders the motion of vital items and companies that individuals must reside and thrive. Zipline’s infrastructure is confirmed to ship higher well being outcomes by fixing the basis of many public well being challenges: gradual, unreliable and analog logistics that always leaves blood, medicines and provides out of inventory or spoiled.
Since its first supply in 2016, Zipline’s autonomous logistics system — designed and manufactured within the U.S. — has accomplished 1.8 million autonomous deliveries with zero security incidents. With Zipline, hospitals, well being amenities, and group well being staff have on-demand entry to a world-class pharmacy from almost any location. Impartial analysis reveals its influence:
In some locations the place Zipline operates in Africa, the common time between when a well being facility locations an order to when it’s delivered is 13 days. Zipline minimize that to beneath half-hour for the amenities it serves within the nation.
Since 2016, federal and state ministries of well being in Africa have procured and paid for Zipline’s companies to realize well being and financial enhancements of their nations. This growth backs these nations’ visions and multiplies the influence of African leaders and their home investments.
A New Mannequin for Innovation The partnership with the State Division indicators a brand new period of economic diplomacy — one which makes use of U.S. innovation to drive world well being and financial improvement. That is additionally the State Division’s first award that makes use of AI, robotics and autonomous logistics to enhance well being outcomes. Rwanda is predicted to be the primary nation to signal an settlement beneath this new mannequin.
“African governments are selecting to speculate their very own sources in Zipline as a result of it really works, and it’s unbelievable worth for cash. It solves intractable world well being challenges like maternal mortality, malnutrition, and beneath 5 mortality,” stated Caitlin Burton, CEO of Zipline’s Africa enterprise. “This award marks a pivotal second in overseas assist — the U.S. authorities is backing Africa’s imaginative and prescient, constructing the infrastructure Africa needs, and accelerating the adoption of American innovation that’s confirmed to work and acknowledged as one of the vital cost-effective public well being interventions ever studied. It can ceaselessly change the trajectory of human well being and improvement in Africa.”
The American financing will help the development of recent Zipline hubs, and can be launched solely after an African authorities has dedicated to increasing Zipline’s operations of their nation to fulfill agreed upon metrics for achievement. Every Zipline hub is a everlasting piece of infrastructure, staffed totally by native staff, which creates expert native jobs and drives financial development.
“Rwanda and Zipline have been working collectively for years to harness know-how for the nice of our folks. We now have witnessed the extraordinary influence of drone supply — saving time, saving cash, and saving lives,” stated Minister Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT and Innovation, Authorities of Rwanda. “With this partnership, we are going to now develop to city supply, bringing these advantages to much more communities. We thank the U.S. Authorities for supporting Zipline’s growth and for becoming a member of us in constructing the muse for Africa’s future in healthcare and innovation.”
“With greater than 200 million folks, Nigeria faces distinctive challenges and alternatives in delivering healthcare equitably and effectively. Present Zipline operations in three Nigerian states have proven how drone supply can remodel entry to healthcare — eliminating stockouts, creating new service factors even the place there isn’t any well being facility, driving development in facility visits and therapy charges, and bettering therapy success and well being outcomes,” stated
Muhammad Ali Pate, Minister of Well being and Social Welfare of Nigeria. “We applaud the U.S. Authorities’s help for improvements like Zipline that may doubtlessly advance our imaginative and prescient for a more healthy, extra equitable future for our folks and are in discussions to discover a sustainable path working collectively.”
“In Côte d’Ivoire, our precedence is to ensure each citizen fast, dependable, and equitable entry to important well being merchandise.“ Because the launch of Zipline’s operations in our nation, now we have witnessed the concrete influence of medical drone supply: shorter provide instances, improved availability of important merchandise, strengthened capacities of our well being amenities, and higher companies delivered to our populations, together with these in rural and distant areas. With the growth of this partnership, we now goal to amplify these outcomes and lengthen these advantages to a fair bigger variety of communities throughout your complete territory,” stated Pierre Dimba, Minister of Well being, Public Hygiene, and Common Well being Protection of Côte d’Ivoire. “This method is absolutely aligned with our imaginative and prescient of a contemporary, resilient well being system able to innovating to fulfill tomorrow’s wants. We additionally welcome the help of the USA Authorities in advancing this effort, which contributes to strengthening our well being sovereignty and constructing an Ivorian mannequin of excellence in well being innovation.”
The Way forward for Logistics Is Autonomous In the present day autonomous logistics reaches lower than 1% of the worldwide inhabitants. This award comes one step nearer to closing that hole, and it’s solely the start.
There’s a huge alternative to carry autonomous logistics to billions of individuals worldwide. This award is designed to be simply replicated by those that work in overseas assist and philanthropy: scale what works, pay for outcomes, and allow nations to thrive long run.
When Zipline made its first supply in 2016 it was seen as a loopy experiment. Now, the most important authorities on this planet is doubling down on what Zipline is constructing and with the help of America and Africa, autonomous logistics is turning into the spine of tomorrow’s infrastructure world wide.
About Zipline
Zipline is the world’s largest and most skilled autonomous supply service. In the present day Zipline operates on 4 continents, makes a supply someplace on this planet each 30 seconds, and serves greater than 5,000 hospitals and well being amenities. Zipline’s clients embrace federal and state well being techniques, well being care establishments, eating places and retailers. With greater than 120 million industrial autonomous miles safely flown to this point, Zipline is reworking entry to healthcare, shopper merchandise, and meals. Our clients depend on Zipline to save lots of lives, cut back emissions, enhance financial alternative, and supply new logistics companies at scale.
For years Zipline has labored with visionary governments and philanthropic organizations keen to take daring motion to enhance well being outcomes for tens of hundreds of thousands of individuals. Companions embrace the Elton John AIDS Basis, the Gates Basis, Gavi, Pfizer, and The united statesFoundation, which have helped Zipline and its associate governments develop a wealth of empirical proof that advances our understanding of how improved provide chain efficiency will increase well timed therapy and in the end saves lives. For extra data, go to Zipline.com/Africa.
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