Drone academy: Reaching for the sky
How drone technology is inspiring young Malawians to reach for careers in an expanding drone industry.
Memory Sidira is buzzing with excitement as she talks about what she is learning during her course at Malawi鈥檚 Drone and Data Academy - the first of its kind in Africa. The Academy鈥檚 aim is to build local expertise for Malawi鈥檚 expanding drone industry and to teach young Africans from across the continent 21st Century skills in drone flight and data analysis. Ruth Evans hears how drones are inspiring young Africans like Memory to reach for the sky.
After completing the first course run by the Drone and Data Academy last year, 24-year-old Debra Duwa Matambalika is doing her dream job, working as a drone pilot delivering essential medicines to remote rural areas. Thumbiko Zingwe is another former graduate of the Academy 鈥 but he is not just reaching for the sky; His goal is to set up Malawi鈥檚 very own space programme to help address critical development issues on the ground. He has a futuristic vision of Malawi鈥檚 skies being full of drones - 鈥渓ike a semi-Wakanda鈥 in his favourite super-hero film Black Panther. The technology, he believes, will leapfrog one of the poorest countries on earth into the 21st Century: 鈥淚t鈥檚 the beginning of a beautiful story that will have a beautiful ending.鈥
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Broadcasts
- Tue 23 Nov 2021 02:32GMT大象传媒 World Service
- Tue 23 Nov 2021 09:06GMT大象传媒 World Service
- Tue 23 Nov 2021 13:32GMT大象传媒 World Service East and Southern Africa, South Asia, West and Central Africa & East Asia only
- Tue 23 Nov 2021 20:06GMT大象传媒 World Service Americas and the Caribbean, UK DAB/Freeview, Europe and the Middle East & Online only
- Tue 23 Nov 2021 21:06GMT大象传媒 World Service except Online, Americas and the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East & UK DAB/Freeview
- Sun 28 Nov 2021 05:32GMT大象传媒 World Service except East Asia & South Asia