There must be really something in the water with regards drone technology and the fight against Malaria in the Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar – because the drones will be deployed for the third time in five years.
This time, the government of Zanzibar has called its project, the Smart Drone Technology for a Malaria-Free Future in Zanzibar: a new initiative using artificial intelligence and drone technology to accelerate malaria elimination efforts in the semi-autonomous territory.
Lead by the health ministry and the Zanzibar Malaria Elimination Programme (ZAMEP) in collaboration with the World Health Organization, the project has this time coopted in the help of Japan’s SORA Technology and the Ifakara Health Institute as the technology partners.
It is funded by the Government of Japan.
The project will pilot the use of AI-powered drone technology for biolarviciding within the framework of Larval Source Management in selected shehias (administrative wards) in Kati District.
The initiative supports Zanzibar’s ongoing efforts to strengthen integrated vector management and eliminate local malaria transmission.
“This will be the first time Zanzibar will be implementing a malaria elimination approach that combines both advanced technology and community participation,” said Miraji Mngereza Mzee, permanent secretary of Zanzibar’s Ministry of Health.
“For many years, there have been challenges with malaria, but in Zanzibar, it is below one percent. Now with this technology and community involvement, we believe we are going to write history by becoming malaria-free and be recognized globally as a territory without malaria transmission.”
The project deploys drone and AI innovations developed by SORA Technology to improve the identification and management of mosquito breeding sites, including in difficult-to-access areas.
The system uses aerial mapping of high-risk larval habitats, entomological monitoring to identify malaria-transmitting mosquito species, and predictive mapping to enable precise targeting of breeding sites.
“We commend the Government of Zanzibar and the Ministry of Health through the ZAMEP for their strong leadership and sustained commitment to malaria elimination.
“Zanzibar’s achievement in maintaining malaria prevalence at 0.04 percent demonstrates what is possible through sustained investment, partnership, and innovation,” said Ndoungou Salla BA, head of the WHO liaison office in Zanzibar.
“We also sincerely thank the Government of Japan for its generous support and continued partnership in advancing impactful and innovative health solutions. This initiative reflects the power of collaboration, bringing together government leadership, WHO’s technical expertise, Japanese innovation, and research excellence to accelerate progress toward a malaria-free Zanzibar.”
Under the project, the Ministry of Health and the ZAMEP will provide strategic leadership, regulatory coordination and oversight to ensure integration of drone-based larval source management into national malaria control systems.
WHO will provide overall coordination to ensure strategic alignment, technical quality and effective collaboration among partners. SORA Technology will deploy the drone systems while supporting local capacity building and data-driven implementation.
The Ifakara Health Institute will support monitoring of entomological indicators, assessment of feasibility and cost, and documentation of lessons learned.
Evidence generated through the project will compare drone-based and conventional larviciding approaches in terms of effectiveness, operational efficiency and feasibility in reducing mosquito breeding and malaria transmission risk.
The official launch marks an important milestone in Zanzibar’s malaria elimination journey, reinforcing government ownership and positioning the territory as a regional leader in technology-driven public health solutions.
Zanzibar has deployed drone technology to eradicate its malaria problems in recent time: in 2021, anti-Malaria Drones; an initiative which brought together efforts from drone maker DJI; Australian insecticide company Aquatain; the Dutch Malaria Foundation and drone services start-up, Tanzania Flying Labs; used DJI’s agricultural drones to target mosquito breeding sites and spray them with Aquatain AMF, a silicone-based liquid whose purpose was to suffocate the mosquito larvae.
The following year, researchers at Aberystwyth University in Wales, United Kingdom joined the fight, on a project that used drone and smartphone technology to help find pools of water where mosquitoes bred in.
Funded by the Innovative Vector Control Consortium, the project saw Aber University working with ZAMEP to fly drones over known malaria hot spots, presumably on mapping operations which were then used as targets for elimination efforts.