Drones have become part of the mainstream all over the world owing to their wide range of applications. In Africa, drones are slowly being used to solve various problems such as the case in Nigeria where the government plans to deploy to supplement surveillance activities on all oil installations. The 500 drones will monitor pipelines in a move aimed at tackling oil theft. Once fully deployed, the drones will also monitor the movement of ships along the coastal areas as well as the extensive pipeline network.
In Kenya, drones are being used by the Kenya Wildlife Service to tackle poaching. The drone surveillance project which is still under a pilot at the Tsavo National Park is seen as a huge step to help neutralize poacher attacks on endangered elephant and rhino wildlife. Other technologies employed by the KWS to curb poaching include use of GPS collars, microchips embedded in the animal horns and tusks and aircraft surveillance.
Rwanda is now taking it a notch higher by building the world’s first airport for drones in 2016. According to Quartz, Rwanda’s Civil Aviation Authority is drafting regulations set for submission to the cabinet soon. The Authority hopes to have the pilot for cargo drones up in 2016. The project will also be used for transporting urgent medical supplies and electronic parts to remote parts of Rwanda. The project follows investor interest who intend to construct three drone ports, with the project slated to take 4 years to complete.
