Nigeria's young innovator develops drone to deliver medicine to rural dwellers

By Timothy Olanrewaju

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - A young Nigerian has developed a drone to deliver medicine and medical supplies to patients in rural areas of the country's impoverished northwest region.

Jubrin Musa, a 25-year-old secondary school dropout in Nigeria's city of Kano, said he began working on the project 12 years ago.

"I couldn't continue my higher education because of financial challenges. But I have passion to build drones that will take drugs, medical supplies from hospitals in the city to local areas as fast as possible to save lives," he told Anadolu.

Musa recalled how he started the project from visiting a nearby internet cafe to browse and research into drone technology. "I did not have a cellphone or computer so I turned to an internet cafe, and spent hours on the system to fulfil my passion," he explained. He said the fuel-powered drone can go as far as 10 kms for now.

Several communities in the African country cannot be accessed by road or coastal service due to their difficult terrain. This also affect theirs access to medical aid.

Jubrin said he desires to serve the hard-to-reach areas and is looking for sponsors. "My interest is to save lives, to ensure rural dwellers could get drugs on time," he said.