Rwanda and Zipline have signed an expansion deal that makes Rwanda the first country in the world with full nationwide autonomous drone delivery coverage for health services. Zipline, the US-based autonomous drone logistics company, will scale autonomous medical delivery systems under a $150 million “pay-for-performance” funding from the US Department of State.
The U.S. government is providing the upfront infrastructure funding through the U.S. Department of State’s multi-million-dollar award, while individual African governments Zipline is partnering with (in the case of Rwanda) are expected to commit to covering ongoing operational costs as part of the pay-for-performance model.
Notably, the Rwanda–Zipline expansion agreement, according to TechCabal, triggers the release of US funding designed to scale Zipline’s AI-driven medical delivery infrastructure across Africa, after the company secured national expansion commitments from governments on the continent. The funding model is structured so that African governments commit to long-term operations, ensuring financial sustainability rather than donor dependency.
The agreement aims to cut delivery times for vaccines, blood, and essential medicines, potentially strengthening health outcomes and national healthcare systems. For the first time in Africa, urban drone delivery services will be deployed in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, using Zipline’s advanced air logistics platform. This expands beyond rural health deliveries into densely populated city areas.
How Zipline medical logistics are distributed across Rwanda
The very first Zipline drone distribution hub in Rwanda was established in Muhanga District in 2016, where Zipline began delivering blood and emergency medical supplies as part of its initial national drone delivery service. The second hub was opened in Kayonza District in 2018, expanding coverage eastward to serve more health facilities and include additional medical products beyond blood.
Under the recent 2026 expansion agreement, a third drone distribution hub will be established in Karongi District. This new hub complements the existing Muhanga and Kayonza hubs and helps extend service into hard-to-reach western regions, expanding service coverage to more than 11 million people and border areas near the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In addition to that, Zipline’s urban delivery system, Platform 2 (P2), will be deployed in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, under this new agreement. Kigali is a place where about 40% of the country’s healthcare demand is concentrated. With Zipline's P2, fast, quiet, and precise deliveries can be enabled in dense urban areas.
Ever since Zipline launched operations in Rwanda in 2016, it has delivered blood products, vaccines, essential medicines, and other critical healthcare supplies on demand to more than 5,000 hospitals and health facilities.
Zipline's AI and Robotics testing facility
Zipline also plans to open its first international AI and robotics research and testing centre in Rwanda. This hub will support testing of aircraft performance and safety systems, develop next-generation logistics software, and train local talent in robotics and autonomous systems. This will help provide operational data feed into Rwanda’s health information and emergency response systems.
The system will help with the detection of outbreaks, real-time logistics visibility, and faster nationwide coordination. This zipline's development is expected to support more than 350 local jobs. However, it's worth noting that Zipline is not stopping in Rwanda. The company plans to expand into Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, and Nigeria after this Rwanda expansion.
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