The Department of Health Policy Management and Economics at the School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi in collaboration with Zipline, a leading drone delivery service operator, has awarded Seven Thousand Dollars ($7,000) to two groundbreaking research projects. This initiative is part of an ongoing effort to enhance the distribution of health commodities and extend access to remote communities in Ghana.
In 2019, the Government of Ghana authorised Zipline to establish its first Distribution Centre (DC) in Omenako to improve equitable access to healthcare supplies. Zipline has since expanded to six DCs across key regions, supporting over two thousand (2,000) health facilities and benefiting an estimated seventeen million (17,000,000) Ghanaians. To further study the impact of aerial logistics on healthcare, Zipline and KNUST established the Zipline/KNUST Research Grant Award to fund interdisciplinary research projects at KNUST.
The Head of the Department of Health Policy Management and Economics, Professor Peter Agyei-Baffour, stated that the programme provides funding and encouragement to interdisciplinary research teams at KNUST. For the selection process, he explained that twelve (12) proposals from a pool of fifty-one (51) student researchers were evaluated by independent reviewers, with two (2) projects chosen for funding. These projects focus on the impact of drone logistics on improving sexual and reproductive health services in specific regions of Ghana and reducing healthcare disparities in other districts. The package for the winning teams included mentorship, approximately Seven Thousand Dollars ($7,000) in funding, and support for publishing their findings in peer-reviewed journals. "We celebrate not only the brilliance of our students today but also the transformative power of research,’’ he added.
Mrs. Yvonne Aglah, Zipline’s Country Operations Lead, Ghana, expressed pride in the student researchers, celebrating their achievements and highlighting the significant role of aerial logistics in addressing complex supply chain challenges. She noted that since their partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service in 2019, Zipline has enhanced the equitable distribution of health commodities, delivered over nine million, five hundred thousand (9,500,000) doses of routine vaccines, and significantly improved vaccine coverage in Zipline-served districts.
Mrs. Aglah emphasised the importance of research in advancing aerial logistics and improving healthcare outcomes. She congratulated the awardees for their research on health equity and sexual and reproductive health, recognising the vital role of research in driving practical solutions to real-world challenges. This initiative marks a significant step in leveraging technology to improve healthcare delivery and access in Ghana, with potential global implications.
