Scientists in cooling systems have proposed the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), known as drones, in vaccine delivery as a way to support rural health centres that face unstable electricity supply and unreliable refrigeration equipment for vaccine storage. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s cooling centre mobilises $25m to improve vaccine supply An estimated 25–50% of vaccines are compromised due to temperature deviations and incomplete vial usage in resource-limited settings. Researchers say mRNA-based vaccines require reliable cold storage, which poses a particular challenge for lower-middle-income countries that lack functional cold-chain infrastructure. A study on using drones for vaccine delivery to reduce such spoilage is being conducted in seven health centres across Rwanda namely Nyagasambu, Karenge, Munyaga, Muyumbu, Mwulire, Nyakariro and Murambi health centres. The research aims to test whether using drones to deliver vaccines directly to health centres—rather than storing them in fridges for long periods—can make vaccination in rural Africa more reliable, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly. ALSO READ: Inaugural cooling festival to spotlight innovation in Kigali The progress was unveiled during the cooling conference taking place in Kigali from October 7 to 10, dedicated to sustainable cooling and cold-chain innovation. Researchers noted that cooling is often overlooked in climate discussions, yet it is critical to food security, vaccine delivery, and resilience in a warming world. “The use of drones will ensure vaccines are transported directly from the national centre for vaccines to health centres for immediate vaccination,” said Jean Pierre Musabyimana, Head of the One Health Department at the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain (ACES). ‘One Health’ refers to an integrated approach that connects human health, animal health, and environmental health. ALSO READ: How cooling could redefine Africa’s food, health, economic future At the cooling centre, the One Health approach is applied to cold-chain and cooling technologies. This involves designing systems that safely store and transport vaccines, food, and medicines while maintaining the correct temperature, reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and protecting both people and animals from diseases linked to poor cold storage or food contamination. ALSO READ: Rwanda unveils BioNTech’s first vaccine manufacturing plant in Africa “Health systems depend on reliable cold chains to safeguard vaccines and medicines. In many rural African areas, the cold chain faces major challenges such as unreliable refrigeration equipment, shortage of trained technicians, and unstable electricity supply. These problems often lead to vaccine spoilage and waste,” he noted. The project, titled “Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Critical Vaccine Supply Chain Systems to Minimise Cold Storage Needs in Rural African Settings,” is funded mainly by the JP Moulton Charitable Foundation, with additional support from the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), the University of Rwanda, the University of Birmingham, Zipline Rwanda, the Clean Cooling Network, and other partners. Musabyimana said they are collaborating closely with Zipline Rwanda. The approach helps keep vaccines at the correct temperature, known as maintaining the vaccine cold chain (VCC), which is crucial to ensure their effectiveness. ALSO READ: Senegal President in Rwanda for BioNTech plant launch This study explores how drones could transform vaccine delivery through a ‘just-in-time’ model, meaning vaccines arrive shortly before they are needed rather than being stored in large quantities in rural health centres. This approach could reduce the need for costly cold storage and make it easier to deliver new vaccines, including mRNA vaccines, to remote communities. The study compares drone-based vaccine delivery with traditional road transport, assessing energy use, environmental impacts, and cost-effectiveness, while also collecting feedback from healthcare professionals on the use of drones and digital tracking tools. Health centres are divided into two groups: control sites, which continue using traditional road-based delivery, and active sites, which receive drone-based deliveries scheduled for vaccination days. Albertine Uwajeneza, a flight and cold-chain technician at Zipline Rwanda, said the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain is training staff to prepare for drone-based vaccine delivery. “The vaccines transported by drones are kept in a cold system so that they move from the national centre to health centres without spoilage. We use ice bags to maintain vaccine temperatures,” she noted. Toby Peters, Professor of Cold Economy at the University of Birmingham and Founding Director of ACES, explained that cooling and cold-chain systems are vital for keeping vaccines effective from the moment they are produced until they are administered. To address the 25–50% of vaccines currently spoiled because of poor temperature control, he said the goal is to improve cold-chain systems so that vaccines remain at the correct temperature throughout transport and storage, and to use new technologies such as drones to deliver vaccines quickly and safely to remote areas. He also stressed the importance of training refrigeration engineers to install and maintain these systems properly.
