Today we are congratulating drone services provider Namibia Flying Labs, which has just announced that it is now an Approved Training Organisation for drone pilot hopefuls in the southern African country and beyond.

Namibia Flying Labs is the Namibian leg of the Flying Labs network of drone and robotics enterprises set up by WeRobotics in 2015; for countries in the Global South to spearhead the search for solutions as regards to commercial drone and robotics technology.

Among other direct drone services, the flying labs network is mandated to expand the career horizons of young citizens from disadvantaged backgrounds by teaching them coding and robotics skills.

As for Namibia Flying Labs, the young start-up has joined its South Africa counterpart Zimbabwe Flying labs in gaining licence as an ATO.

“We are thrilled to announce that Flying Labs Namibia is now an Approved Training Organization (ATO) recognized by the Namibian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to train drone pilots,” the start-up said.

“It’s the perfect moment to share this exciting news, as we just celebrated with a workshop in collaboration with Radai Oy, University of Namibia, and NUST Namibia. We introduced sixteen participants to safe and legal drone operations in Namibia, and we can’t wait to see them become fully licensed pilots.

“Training has always been at the core of our mission, and we took 54 months and designed this program to ensure all pilots are well-prepared to use their skills for positive change in Namibia, no matter their profession! This workshop truly embodied our slogan, “The Power of Local,” and we’re ready to empower Namibia’s drone operators to soar to greater heights.”

The company expressed its gratitude to WeRobotics for their guidance and support in the journey to getting the ATO milestone; adding that training had already began for the first cohort this October.

“Our October cohort is already set to begin, and we look forward to celebrating their graduation soon. A special thanks to Radai Oy, as well as the University of Namibia, NUST Namibia and WeRobotics for making this a success.”