Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has highlighted the expanding role of the Zipline drone delivery service, noting that the company is now transporting a wide range of items beyond medicines and emergency supplies.
Speaking during a sector briefing, the minister explained that Zipline’s network—originally introduced to support urgent medical deliveries—has grown into a logistics partner for both the health and education sectors.
According to Akandoh, the Zipline drone service currently supports communities by delivering condoms, mosquito nets, textbooks, school uniforms, vaccines, and other critical supplies.
He mentioned other items transported by Zipline, including blood-donor cards, food and nutrition supplies, adhesive tapes, syringes and needles.
He said “The services were to concentrate on hard-to-reach areas and emergency services, but upon review of the activities, the hard-to-reach areas constitute only 12% of their activities, and emergency services constitute only 4% of their activities.”
He added that “It will interest you to know some of the items they (Zipline) fly. Items like condoms, blood-donor cards, mosquito nets, food and nutrition items, adhesive tapes, syringes and needles, education materials like textbooks and uniforms, among other things.”
Akandoh explained that the government is engaging Zipline over the range of services provided and outstanding debts, emphasising the need to ensure value for money.
He stated that “We think that there must be value for money, therefore we are engaging them.”
Akandoah’s comments come after three distribution centres of Zipline will reportedly begin shutting down operations due to a lack of funds and delayed government payments.
Dr Nana Ayew Afriye, the Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Health Committee and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Effiduase-Asokore, told Parliament during the 2026 Budget debate that the centres at Sefwi Wiawso in the Western North Region, Krachi in the Volta Region, and Anum in the Eastern Region would cease operations beginning November 25, 2025.
Dr Afriye further claimed that the government had disbursed only GH¢4.5 billion to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), contrary to the GH¢7.5 billion it had announced.
However, the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, has urged the government to terminate its agreement with Zipline, arguing that the drone-based delivery of essential medical supplies has become an unnecessary drain on national resources.
His remarks follow a request from the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who asked the Leader of Government Business to summon the Health Minister to brief Parliament on efforts to restore operations at three Zipline centres currently closed due to the government’s outstanding GH₵175 million debt.
