The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Malawi government have announced the creation of Africa’s first corridor to test UAS that can be used for humanitarian efforts.

Entities from the private sector, universities and other members of the industry will have the opportunity to work at the corridor starting in April 2017.

“The establishment of the testing corridor means there is now a place where we can explore the potential of UAS in the development and humanitarian space,” Cynthia McCaffrey, director of UNICEF’s Office of Innovation, said via press release.

“This program allows UNICEF to adapt to rapid developments in UAS technology and potentially integrate UAS into our work for children.”

Testing of UAS at the corridor will focus on three main areas. First, UAS will have their imagery tested, to see how they develop aerial images during humanitarian crises. Secondly, connectivity will be tested, to see if UAS are capable of extending Wi-Fi or cell phone signals across difficult territory, mainly in emergency settings. Finally, the transportability of UAS will be tested, to see how UAS fare when carrying different materials needed for various humanitarian efforts, including emergency medical supplies and vaccines.

“The launch of the UAS testing corridor is particularly important to support transportation and data collection where land transport infrastructure is either not feasible or difficult during emergencies,” said Jappie Mhango, Malawi’s minister of Transport and Public Works.

With a maximum operational distance of 40 kilometers, and an altitude limit of 500 meters above ground, the corridor is scheduled to run for up to two years.

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