Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, Nigeria’s Minister of Health and Social Welfare, and Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State have officially commissioned a state-of-the-art distribution centre for Zipline, the world’s largest instant logistics and drone delivery service in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
This milestone marks a significant step in the state’s commitment to developing more effective, self-sufficient and resilient healthcare infrastructure––and is especially vital amid global aid funding disruptions that threaten access to life-saving healthcare services in Nigeria and across the world.
The distribution centre is Zipline’s operational hub, integrating advanced warehousing, cold storage, and inventory management to enable rapid, on-demand medical deliveries.
From this centre, Zipline serves hundreds of health facilities and community delivery sites within its 38,000 sq km coverage area, creating routine access in even the most remote parts of the state.
Since Zipline started operations in Bayelsa in 2023, the company has delivered over one million vaccine doses, and more than 71,000 units of essential medicines and led multiple high-impact vaccination and health campaigns that have provided hundreds of thousands of supplements and tablets to residents across the state.
Building on this momentum, Zipline is expanding operations in the state, increasing its reach to 73 out of 83 wards and further strengthening its role as a key partner in the federal and state governments’ commitments to improving healthcare outcomes.
Zipline’s autonomous drones are capable of a 200 km roundtrip and operate regardless of weather or terrain, ensuring seamless, on-demand deliveries to hospitals, primary healthcare centres and drop sites within zero-dose clusters across the state.
The distribution centre will continue to play a vital role in reducing stockouts, improving emergency response, and strengthening supply chains for all medical products.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate highlighted the federal government’s commitment to leveraging technology to enhance healthcare access nationwide, stating: “These developments are not merely structures; they reflect our shared commitment to providing quality healthcare services to Nigerians, regardless of their location. The integration of technology, such as the Zipline drone flight services, signifies a bold step toward innovative healthcare delivery.”
Governor Douye Diri emphasized the impact this partnership will have on Bayelsa’s healthcare sector: “The Zipline technology is a tailor-made response and solution to the obstacles to timely delivery of pharmaceutical supplies posed by the state’s unique riverine terrain. Through the use of drone technology, over twenty thousand zero-dose children have been vaccinated, ensuring a healthy start to life.”
Commenting on the launch, Akin Oyediran, partnerships executive, Zipline Nigeria said: “As Nigeria continues to prioritise capacitating communities to meet citizens’ needs, Zipline is committed to working alongside government and local partners to ensure seamless integration of our technology to strengthen health systems around the country.”
Zipline now operates 13 distribution centres across Africa. The company’s operations on the continent are 100% locally led and staffed, creating 30–40 high-skilled jobs per distribution centre, with in-house training and certification for pharmacists, engineers, and technicians.
Across Africa, Zipline has directly created more than 400 jobs while indirectly contributing to rural economic development through infrastructure investments and local partnerships.
Zipline has also invested significantly in building local health system capacity.
Through a Zipline-managed and Gavi-funded program in the state, hundreds of community health workers who are residents of zero-dose clusters have been equipped and empowered to offer vaccination and primary health care services. As a result, tens of thousands of children who had never received a single vaccination now have full immunization coverage.
Beyond healthcare, Zipline’s instant logistics technology has the potential to support other critical sectors, including agriculture and e-commerce, helping to drive economic growth, enhance service delivery, and improve supply chain efficiency.
