First Drone and Data Academy in Africa launched in Malawi

Africa’s first drone and data academy opens in Africa to improve service delivery for children in Lilongwe, Malawi, UNICEF announced.

ADDA was established by UNICEF Malawi with an initial support from The Global Fund, the German Government as well as partners from Scotland and Sweden.

The inaugural class comprises 16 students from Malawi and 10 from across Africa. 55% of the students are more than women with undergraduate degrees in science, technology or engineering.

UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore said in a press release that, “Humanitarian and development programme delivery in Africa and beyond can benefit significantly from the application of drone technology,”

Also, she emphasised that “The African Drone and Data Academy will be instrumental in equipping young people with the skills they need to use the technology to benefit children and their communities.”

“In Malawi we strongly believe that adopting modern technologies such as drones and advanced data analysis and management techniques will help us to serve our children better. We are proud to partner with UNICEF in such an exciting endeavor,” said James Chakwera, Director of Malawi’s Department of Civil Aviation.

The academy’s curriculum will combine theoretical and practical methodologies in making, testing and flying drones.

This curriculum was developed in partnership with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). This is following Virgina Tech’s successful delivery of training workshops in Malawi since 2017. The course will combine theoretical and practical methodologies in making, testing and flying drones.

The academy has a prospect of running a tuition- free two-year master’s degree program in drone technology by 2022. This would be in the academy in conjunction with Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST).

It will also deliver a curriculum that will build local capacity and a favorable ecosystem for the emergence of sustainable business models for using drones for humanitarian and development missions.

“The ADDA reflects Virginia Tech’s ongoing commitment to the innovative application of drone technology and education in Malawi and the Africa region,” said Kevin Kochersberger, associate professor at Virginia Tech who will lead the project. “The academy will give graduates the necessary skills for jobs using drone applications ranging from agriculture and health to natural resources monitoring.”

ADDA would train the next batch of cohorts by mid-April 2020. The call for applications is open until 26 January.