The U.S. State Department has approved a $150 million grant over three years to Zipline, the American robotics and autonomous-drone delivery company, to scale its health operations in five African nations: Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and Côte d’Ivoire.
This funding marks one of the first major global health aid announcements since the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign assistance, the restructuring of USAID, and the release of the “America First” global health strategy.
Officials have highlighted the partnership with Zipline as a model for the new approach to U.S. global health support, according to Business Insider Africa.
Zipline, which began operations in Rwanda in 2016, has pioneered drone-based medical logistics, delivering blood, vaccines, and essential medicines to hard-to-reach communities.
The grant is expected to expand daily delivery capacity and enable the company to reach millions more people across the continent.
Caitlin Burton, CEO of Zipline Africa, told Devex that the company’s on-demand delivery system addresses long-standing weaknesses in African health supply chains.
“The health systems don’t serve most people well. That’s not fair, and it’s not solvable with the technology you have. You can’t just pave every road, and electrify every site, and get everybody a working refrigerator that never breaks, and make sure nobody ever steals fuel or ever diverts drugs. You can’t do all those things,” she said.
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Unlike traditional foreign aid, the grant operates on a pay-for-performance model, with participating governments signing contracts and committing to ongoing logistics payments, potentially reaching $400 million.
State Department officials say this approach fosters sustainability while leveraging private-sector innovation.
Jeremy Lewin, Undersecretary of State for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom, said: “This partnership is an example of the innovative, results-driven approach at the core of the America First foreign assistance agenda.”
In an earlier interview with Business Insider Africa, Burton noted that traditional U.S. aid often lacked measurable impact.
“With a fraction of previous spending, Zipline keeps medicines flowing smoothly to patients, providing a more efficient and sustainable path for African health delivery,” she said.
She also observed that with the reduction of U.S. funding, medical materials now move more smoothly through the supply chain compared to the previous system.
For Africa, the expansion offers a critical opportunity to enhance health equity and reach underserved populations. Governments in Rwanda, Nigeria, and Ghana are already planning to scale operations beyond urban centers.
Observers, however, caution that the model shifts financial responsibility to African governments, emphasizing the importance of economic stability for long-term viability.
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Image Credit: Business Insider Africa
