Zipline, the world’s largest autonomous logistics company, has reached a milestone of 1.6 million autonomous deliveries globally, with Ghana hosting the largest drone medical supply system in the world.
The head of Business Operations at Zipline Ghana, Roger S. Frimpong, made this known during a media engagement at the Anum Distribution Centre in Labolabo in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region.
He revealed that in just six years of operations in Ghana, Zipline had delivered over eight million individual medical products, including 70 million doses of vaccines, over 30,000 units of blood, and thousands of essential medicines to health facilities across the country.
“Ghana can be proud to host the world’s largest drone delivery system. For years, we have been running a 24-hour operation -delivering during the day, at night, and in emergencies.
“The next step is deeper integration with the Ministry of Health so that trucks and drones work seamlessly together to achieve better health outcomes,” Mr Frimpong stated.
He added that Zipline operated six distribution centres nationwide, each with 2030 drones, covering 14 out of the 16 regions including the greater part of Volta Region and 165 districts.
Discussions were underway to expand coverage to underserved areas such as the Upper West and parts of the Volta Region, he said.
The Fulfillment Operations Lead at Zipline Anum, Yaw Adu-Gyamfi, outlined the company’s three main contributions:
Medical supplies – timely delivery to over 60 hard-to-reach facilities, cutting costs and delays; Blood products – rapid emergency delivery from transfusion-certified centres, saving lives;
Vaccines – daily deliveries to prevent stockouts and missed immunization opportunities, protecting children from deadly diseases.
He said on average, Zipline conducted 100 deliveries daily, with peaks of over 200 deliveries depending on demand.
The facility tour allowed journalists to observe Zipline’s full operation-from warehousing and packaging to drone launch and retrieval.
The Chairman of the Volta Regional Chapter of the Ghana Journalists Association, Dr Harrison K. Belley, lauded Zipline for its innovation, describing the visit as “insightful and reassuring,” and commended the company’s role in strengthening Ghana’s healthcare delivery system.