A third drone training school has opened its doors in Zimbabwe, to give more choice and opportunity to more prospective drone users and industry professionals who can benefit from drone pilot skills.
Called Afrostain College, the new training school was launched by agribusiness and drone services start-up Afrostain Farmtech, which is aiming to hit the ground running after recently acquiring a Remote Piloted Aircraft Operator Certificate (ROC) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ).
“In addition to our Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operator Certificate (ROC) and ISO 9001:2015 QMS Certification, Afrostain is excited to announce that we have received approval for Remote Pilot Training (Drone Training) through Afrostain College,” the company announced on Wednesday.
“This certification opens new career paths for individuals interested in drone operations, enhancing job prospects across various industries. Afrostain's structured training programs will equip students with the essential skills and knowledge to operate drones safely and effectively and Jump-Start Your Career.
“With the increasing use of drones in sectors like agriculture, construction, mining, security, surveillance, and logistics, our training aligns perfectly with market demands and industry trends for Agronomists, Surveyors, GIS analysts, media and security personnel, among other professionals.
“Our training programs will ensure that operators comply with aviation regulations, promoting safety in the skies. Participants will receive practical training from industry professionals, enhancing their learning and making it easier to grasp concepts and apply them in real-world scenarios.”
The school will officially open its doors on March 17 this year, but they are already taking in students.
Afrostain’s managing director Wenceslaus Nyamupfukudza said the reason behind the training school was the realisation that commercial drone capabilities in the country were rapidly expanding beyond the applications in traditional industries, and people needed to know how they can apply drone technology in their everyday operations.
“This rapid development of RPAs/drones is promoting productivity revolution across sectors; they are being widely used in several industries such as aerial photography, agricultural operations, surveying and mapping, security and surveillance, inspection, and public safety,” Nyamupfukudza said.
“As Afrostain, we have been using drones in agriculture for surveying, aerial mapping, and precision agriculture solutions like crop scouting, risk management, and underwriting, as well as crop spraying.
“However, in 2024, we saw that the demand for professionals in drone technology applications in industries is rapidly growing and in order to meet the growing demand for talents, we started the process to register Afrostain College for approval with the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe RPA (drone) pilot licensing which we just got certified in this February of 2025.”
This process followed the granting of the ROC, a landmark achievement which Nyamupfukudza and his team are immensely proud of.
“The Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operator Certificate (ROC) was a significant milestone for us, as it demonstrated our commitment to safety, quality, and regulatory compliance. This certification gave our clients confidence in our ability to provide professional drone services, including aerial photography, surveying, mapping, and inspection.”
And if you are regular visitor to this blog, you will be well aware that we have constantly expressed our worry about how a lot of drone training schools are sprouting up to profit from desperate job seekers, then leaving them high and dry with only drone remote control skills that are useless for industries that need way, way more than just drone piloting skills.
We all know that shiny and fun as it can be – and unless it is used for crop spraying or deliveries - a drone is really only as good as the data it collects; and the data collected is solely depended on the person behind the controls knowing what they are doing.
So we did put the question to Nyamupfukudza on how his new school would bridge the data collection skills gap for drone operators.
“We have created a whole different approach to how drone training is commonly done,” was his response.
“Instead of just training on drone operations and licensing, we have added a touch of drone entrepreneurship modules, this allows our students to graduate, ready to tackle business opportunities awaiting them. More importantly, we will give our students first hand, practical skills of what already works.
“In addition to our standard training programs as per ICAO and CAAZ regulations, we are also developing specialised courses for professionals who want to integrate drone technology into their existing fields, such as drone data analytics.
“The drone industry is a growing market for all levels of skills. We understand it is going to keep on growing and this is great news for all the drone enthusiasts and industries which drones are revolutionising, we want to grow better together.”