US drone maker Zipline and the Nigerian government announced a deal last week at the UN General Assembly that will see the company assume a central role in moving medical products including blood, medicines, and vaccines around the country. The partnership will “raise the quality of healthcare services available to all Nigerians,” Nigeria’s Health Minister Ali Pate said in a statement. A key part of the project is raising money to set up and staff multiple hubs with facilities for drone operations, including warehouses, and take-off and landing areas. But mainstream adoption of drones — to the scale that makes it integral to e-commerce companies — requires well-thought out regulations that take air traffic management, data privacy and public education into account.

The Rise in Drone Adoption in Nigeria