Rwanda is looking to set up a drone operations center by 2026, as part of the country's efforts to provide accessible and flexible workshop spaces to support the development of drone technologies and innovations.
The development, announced five years ago, has recently gained momentum following a Rwf13.4 billion funding commitment by the French Development Agency to the Rwandan government.
It will be located in Huye District, Southern Province in an area currently occupied by Huye Aerodrome.
The New Times understands that Rwanda Airports Company (RAC) has already handed over the area spanning over 280,000 square meters to the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, which is expected to spearhead the development of the facility.
"We are back on track," said Rene Kabalisa, the Principal Research and Development Engineer at Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA).
Kabalisa attributed the delays to previous poor designs of the center, and funding shortages among other challenges.
"Everything, from the action plan to the business model and the funding is in place and we look to fast-track the project and meet the deadline," he added.
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The design
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), popularly known as drones, Kabalisa pointed out, offer a unique combination of mobility, data capture capabilities, and precision, making them an invaluable tool across Rwanda's multitude of sectors.
Whether it's the construction sector, which uses drones to survey and map land, the agriculture sector thatdeploys drones to plant seeds and spray fertilizers, or the security industry, where they are used for surveillance of large areas, drones have become increasingly popular and versatile across industries in recent years.
The proposed facility is expected to span an area of 280,695 square meters, with an 800-meter runway.
It will also boast of several dedicated landing pads for vertical, or vertical to horizontal take-off, and multiple flying areas offering real-world environments.
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The center is expected to offer permanent hangars as workshop space for drone firms interested in basing themselves in Huye, and flexible workbench options for operators looking for short-term leases and a place to test their equipment.
"We have requested a budget of Rwf2.3 billion for the next financial year to see that real construction as well as purchasing equipment can be done," Kabalisa told this publication.
The area dedicated for construction of the centre is currently being fenced to enforce its security, with officials revealing that plans are being finalized to hire a different firm for the design, or possibly redesign the previous one.
The center looks to attract major drone firms, and already, according to Kabalisa, partners from the US and Poland have shown keen interest in testing their solutions at the drone center.
"The approach is to design it in such a way that even major drone firms can easily operate and fly their drones within a safe testing environment in Rwanda," he noted.
While initially developed for military and exploration purposes, and recently associated with recreational use, drone technology holds immense potential to solve global challenges in healthcare, food security, climate, work safety, and biodiversity, among others.
A popular drone initiative in Rwanda, for example, is Zipline's course to transform healthcare by transporting medical supplies to remote areas, facilitating emergency response, and reducing maternal mortality.
According to the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, the Drone Operations Center is part of Rwanda's aspiration of becoming an ICT hub which will be home to drone students, designers, and pilots.
The center will accommodate drone manufacturing, testing, training, research, and development activities. It will also provide space for recreational and hobbyist activities where inexperienced people can fly drones in a safer environment.
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A win for local innovation ecosystem
For Alex Ntale, chief executive at the Rwanda ICT Chamber, the proposed Drone Operations Center builds on the legacy of scaling innovation and extending opportunities to young people across the country.
"Setting up a Drone Operations Centre will be a great platform for a structured environment for young innovators to explore the full potential in drone Technologies especially testing their drones and other innovations but also access experts and mentors," he said.
Wilson Kagabo, the Managing Director of Locaus Dynamics, a Rwandan company in aerospace development, too, agreed that the centre will be key to promoting drone innovations in the country.
"The Drone Operations Center (DOC) will provide the necessary ecosystem environment that promotes innovation, and research, and fosters collaboration across all UAS industry stakeholders," he noted.
This will be made possible by the existence of the necessary infrastructure that allows for prototyping and testing od new drone systems, which is crucial for the development of new UAS technologies and solutions.
