The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State have officially commissioned a state-of-the-art distribution centre for Zipline, the world’s largest instant logistics and drone delivery service in Yenagoa, the state capital.
 
This milestone marks a significant step in the state’s commitment to developing more effective, self-sufficient, and resilient healthcare infrastructure––and is especially vital amid global aid funding disruptions that threaten access to life-saving healthcare services in Nigeria and across the world. 
   
The distribution centre is Zipline’s operational hub, integrating advanced warehousing, cold storage, and inventory management to enable rapid, on-demand medical deliveries.
   
From this centre, Zipline serves hundreds of health facilities and community delivery sites within its 38,000 sq. km coverage area, creating routine access in even the most remote parts of the state.
  
Since Zipline started operations in Bayelsa in 2023, the company has delivered over one million vaccine doses and more than 71,000 units of essential medicines, leading multiple high-impact vaccination and health campaigns that have provided hundreds of thousands of supplements and tablets to residents across the state.
  
Building on this momentum, Zipline is expanding operations in the state, increasing its reach to 73 out of 83 wards and further strengthening its role as a key partner in the federal and state governments’ commitments to improving healthcare outcomes.
   
Zipline’s autonomous drones can make a 200 km roundtrip and operate regardless of weather or terrain, ensuring seamless, on-demand deliveries to hospitals, primary healthcare centres and drop sites within zero-dose clusters across the state.