Drones for sense-making
africanDRONE works across journalism, Earth observation, environmental monitoring, mapping, data science and community engagement.
Across Africa, network members have delivered community drone mapping projects like Map Makoko, Earth observation and geospatial analysis initiatives with partners like UNCCD, UNU, UN-Habitat, GLI, World Bank and Humanitarian OpenStreetMap, and collaborations with African and international newsrooms. Unequal Scenes’ aerial documentation of spatial inequality, has reached tens of millions globally, partnered with the world’s biggest public and private institutions, and reshaped how inequality is visualised and communicated.
We support and connect drone practitioners across Africa, from public-interest and environmental initiatives to commercial operators, city and infrastructure actors, and individuals building practical skills and livelihoods in the drone economy. africanDRONE brings these communities into a collaborative network that shares knowledge, resources and opportunities.
Together, members gain improved access to markets for their services, more affordable hardware, software and insurance through collective negotiation, and shared technical capacity ranging from aircraft to data processing infrastructure.
Drones for good.
africanDRONE at the Lake Victoria Challenge, Mwanza, Tanzania.
Using drones for good isn’t easy.
Regulation, cost, skills and safety barriers remain high, and local operators often struggle to compete. Quality information on drone rules across countries is hard to come by.
africanDRONE provides a clear pathway forward. Through training camps, journalism programmes, events and educational opportunities, and as a shared repository of practical knowledge and resources, we help African drone practitioners build skills, tell powerful stories and grow sustainable careers.
You join a continent-wide community that shares knowledge, opportunities, resources and support. Together, members access markets, affordable tools and shared technical capacity from flight to data processing.
africanDRONE Story Camp in Zanzibar, Tanzania.