Wakanda Beyond Peer Action Group - An Update 6 Months In

A blog by the Frontier Tech Hub and Drones Doing Good Alliance

Background

To date, the FT Hub has implemented seven UAV pilots within its portfolio. Research performed by the FT Hub has demonstrated that UAV technology can work in frontier contexts (this is demonstrated by external organisations, such as Zipline) and the technology itself is quite sophisticated. FCDO Policy papers recommend that resources should be focused on testing specific UAV use cases rather than technology itself. In a discussion paper titled “What’s ethics got to do with it?”, it was identified that one of main limiting factors in maximising the positive impact of drones in many contexts is the absence of supportive, enabling regulation. This discussion paper, written by the Drones Doing Good Alliance, Endeva e.V., and the Frontier Tech Hub, provides guidance and concrete recommendations and solutions on how policy makers can navigate safety, security and ethical questions related to the sustainable growth and scaling of drone operations in health-care logistics in Africa. 

The report found that Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs) in Africa are under pressure to balance the impact and economic opportunities presented by drones with potential safety and security risks associated with their use. While safety is paramount, overly strict and complex regulations, with high-cost barriers can unintentionally increase unregulated or unsafe activities, stifle business growth, and significantly reduce the positive impact of the technology, including its life-saving potential.  The challenge today is for African CAAs to continue pioneering  this space, developing, testing and refining regulations that allow the benefits of drones to be reaped locally, while maintaining a high degree of safety and security.  

Wakanda Beyond Peer Action Group 

The Wakanda Beyond Peer Action Group brings together African Civil Aviation Authorities to adapt, test and apply some of the recommended solutions. Through practical experimentation, peer learning and exchange, the group aims to increase understanding amongst regulators on the risks and challenges for policymakers, the possible solutions and the repercussions of the regulations from a business and impact perspective. Through regular coaching calls, the Peer Action Group provides regulators the opportunity to develop solutions suitable for their contexts while providing exposure to approaches they can utilise when developing drone (or other) policy and regulations in the future.

Progress to Date

The Wakanda Beyond Peer Action Group launched in March 2023 with nine participating countries–Rwanda, Malawi, Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire,  Mauritania, and Senegal. To kick off the programme, the Group met in Germany in March 2023. At this event, participants identified priority challenges and identified potential  solutions they wished to test through practical experimentation. Three key thematic areas are being explored: 

• Live Tracking

• Drone Corridors and 

• Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM).

The experiments launched in June 2023 with highly interactive, online introductory sessions where participants unpacked their country’s unique challenges, identified and prioritised their assumptions, and developed an action plan to test their assumptions. These introductory calls were also an opportunity for participants to connect and learn from one another. Since June, each country has participated in fortnightly coaching sessions with the Frontier Tech Hub and DDG Alliance. In these sessions, participants share their progress against the action plan and coaches provide guidance and problem solving support, as well as facilitate  technical advisory inputs where needed. 

In August, the group convened in Kigali as an opportunity for CAA and Ministry representatives to engage with their peers on deeper discussions, strengthen ties within their networks, and learn more about the solutions available to them to address their most pressing priorities. The group covered a wide-range of topics including registration processes, mapping, drone corridors, and operator compliance.

What next? 

Moving forward, countries will continue to implement their experiments and capture learning with the support of DDG and the FT Hub throughout 2023 and into early 2024. Participants will reconvene in person in February 2024 to share the outcomes and learnings of their experiments as well as identify next steps. Learnings that arise from each country and the final convening will be the foundation of a Learning Synthesis and Technical Blueprints that will outline insights on each experiment in a way that will be informative to others looking  to implement similar solutions in the future. 

Find out more 

To learn more, please visit the Drone Doing Good Alliance and the Frontier Tech Hub websites.

To get in touch with the Wakanda Beyond Team, please contact Tendai Pasipanodya (tendai@ddgalliance.org), Olivia Elson (oelson@r4d.org), or Ruth McPake (ruth.mcpake@dt-global.com). 

Please stay tuned for updates regarding our work!