The African Drone and Data Academy (ADDA) is an initiative by UNICEF aimed at training drone and data experts. The program offers both theoretical and practical training to prepare participants for a career in the rapidly growing drone industry. The ultimate goal is to equip local communities with the necessary capabilities to use drone technology for humanitarian aid.
The idea for ADDA emerged in 2016 when UNICEF began testing drones in Malawi. The goal was to reduce waiting times for HIV tests for children under one year old and send dried blood spot samples from remote areas directly to laboratories. The successful use of drones in this context led to the idea of expanding local capacity further.
One of the biggest challenges in using drones within the humanitarian sector is the lack of local knowledge and resources for building drones and analyzing the collected data. To bridge this gap, UNICEF organized several workshops in Malawi. In one of these workshops, local students, who had never seen a drone before, built their own drone in just a few days.
With ADDA, UNICEF aims not only to deploy the technology for humanitarian aid but also to increase knowledge and skills in local communities, enabling them to develop sustainable solutions for challenges that would otherwise be difficult to overcome.
Please send an email to: programmes@unicef.nl
