• Air mail

    Air mail

    Online shoppers in Ghana can in future receive their parcels by drone.

    Africa Tech reports that e-commerce company Jumia, in collaboration with delivery start-up Zipline, has officially launched the country’s first drone delivery service.

    A successful pilot project saw drones log up to 2 500 km carrying parcels at distances of up to 85 km from Zipline’s take-off hub in Omenako, which is about 60 km from Accra, in less than an hour. The drones have a payload capacity of 11.8 litres or 3 kg. 

    The companies plan eventually to expand the service to Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria.

    ‘This collaboration will increase access to goods for customers and help small and medium-sized businesses grow,’ says Daniel Marfo, senior vice-president of Zipline Africa

    13 September 2022
    Image: Gallo/Getty images