The African Development Bank (AfDB) and Aerosense Inc, a Japanese drone manufacturer, have inked an agreement to expand cooperation and initiatives in drone technology in Africa.
According to the AfDB, representatives from both organisations signed a Letter of Intent late last week on the sidelines of the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama, Japan.
The agreement was signed by Solomon Quaynor, AfDB's vice president for private sector, infrastructure, and industrialisation, and Kohtaro Sabe, Aerosense's president and CEO.
In June, the AfDB Sustainable Road Maintenance Program for Africa issued a request for proposals, and the company was chosen.
The agreement formalises a relationship of mutual cooperation, assistance, information and knowledge sharing between the two institutions, as well as the exploration of co-financing and deal opportunities and appropriate coordination of actions between them and their respective teams, with a focus on the promotion of sustainable infrastructure solutions in Africa, according to the bank.
In addition, the AfDB will assist collaboration with the public sector, lead awareness-raising initiatives, support capacity building for local partners, and investigate potential debt (and/or equity) financing support for drone deployment projects.
Aerosense will conduct demand studies for drone solutions in specific African markets, as well as technical feasibility studies for drone application, taking into account local geographical factors, and investigate potential deployment options based on positive feasibility study results.
“The program is a bold response to Africa’s growing infrastructure challenges. By partnering with Aerosense, we will not only promote efficient road management but also consider promoting other unique solutions such as disaster management, river/flooding control, agricultural sensing, and medical equipment delivery,” said Quaynor.
For Sabe, the project is about leveraging multinational technological solutions to address African challenges.
He said: “It is a great honour to serve the people in Africa with our Japanese technology for enhancing their quality of life. We are looking forward to collaborating with AfDB to build a better future together in a concrete manner.”
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