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3 Key Areas for Drone Makers in Africa to Survive



Far too many drone companies have been involved in a journey that has been characterised by a short honeymoon. From an African standpoint, the journey was always delayed.  Most African drone companies have been involved in training initiatives, environmental initiatives and consumer journalism.  But the bulk of the drone development was performed in Asia, USA and Europe.  


So it's no surprise that Venture capitalist invested mainly in Asian and American companies.  But given the recent reports and the foreclosure of big startups last year, the drone landscape has changed.  So a question needs to be asked, what would happen to up-coming drone manufacturing companies based in Africa? Below are three key aspects that we believe drone manufacturers need to take into consideration going to the next 3 to 5 years.

Focus on Functionality

One of the biggest elements when it comes to drone development is the ability to focus not just on the end product but the end-user. The African consumer is used to having the same tool applied in various ways.
For example, many African businessman prefer buying a cell phone with two SIM cards than one knowing that they can have both personal and business calls on the same device.  Moreover, they can take advantage of cell phone Networks cheaper rates depending on whom they are calling.  This needs to be  the same Focus for drones in African Markets. The Airblock is a very good example of the modular drone (see below). It can transform into a boat and tricopter and it's impact resistant. But's a nice toy and nothing more.



Focus on Cost rather Performance

One of the biggest drawbacks of drones versus traditional Technologies, is their focus on high-end consumers.  There's countless stories of drones that can provide you with way more video bandwidth than is actually needed on a day-to-day operation. 
It's a well-known fact that with most commercial drones, such as DJI or Parrot, your constraints is no longer the drone camera but your computer that needs to process all that video. The formula for making a drone cheaper has to be taken into account by all drone manufacturers in Africa. 

Focus on Local materials

And finally,  one of the least explored capabilities of drone manufacturers is their ability to use locally manufactured materials to build a drones.  The response we usually get is that the African Market, rightfully so, is so volatile that one cannot trust locally manufactured products at the risk of not having a strong supply chain.  



We believe that is more of an opportunity than a threat. Taking advantage of the artistic entrepreneurship in the various local communities will indefinitely bring about a new set of materials albeit not as polished but just as competent for doing the same function.  As pictured above, using a mixture of the PLA and Bamboo fibre can result in producing 3D parts are much cheaper and yet just as functional. 

And just like SpaceX, a vertically integrated company will minimise the influence of external market dynamics on its critical component supply chain. 

So do there you have it. 3 Key aspects that every African drone manufacturer needs to take into account. Let us know what you think in the comments below and let's see how we can increase the capacity of Africa within Science and Technology sector.






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