The Importance of Drones in Africa

When you hear the word "Africa," it gives you a mental picture of a world with several varieties of cultures, languages, tribes, and people, which means that it is one of the most complex continents in the world. Yet, despite its complexities, Africa has the potential for unprecedented future prosperity in the Earth's history.

It is the second most populated and second largest region globally and is native to over 1 billion inhabitants. Africa is the hottest continent on Earth, and this is because of its proximity to the world's equator and its vast size. 

Being the hottest continent and its closeness to the world's equator means that Africa oscillates between different climate conditions, from the arctic conditions on the peak of its highest mountain to the hot and dry Northern deserts. The African climate ranges from dense rainforests to savanna plains in its southern and central parts.  

Desert and dry land comprise a whopping 60 percent of Africa's region. Yet, while it is a plethora of numerous natural and exotic resources such as tropical fruits, wood, cocoa beans, sugar, salt, oil, iron, copper, silver, gold, and diamonds, the paradox is that Africa is still one of the least-developed and impoverished continents on Earth. 

This results from many factors, such as frequent tribal conflicts, few foreign investments, the appalling state of public education systems and structures, lack of infrastructure, governmental corruption, and poor central planning. 

The population of Africa has also increased rapidly over the last 50 years, which has been debilitated by frequent outbreaks of contagious diseases, poor sanitation, inadequate water supplies, malnutrition, illiteracy, and poverty. 

It is important to note that not all African countries have remained on the same level. Some have strived for independence and development, while others have continued to depend majorly on foreign aid and global assistance. 

As long as the aids keep coming without proper planning for its disbursement and allocation to the core problems, the reality remains that many countries in Africa will still be underdeveloped and impoverished. Therefore, there is a need to adopt a more long-term and holistic development plan, and that can be achieved, to an extent, with drones.