At the Zimbabwe International International Drone Conference, Zimbabwe Flying Labs Showcases Drones at Work

By Zimbabwe Flying Labs

In December 2018, SI 271 of 2018 Civil Aviation Remotely Piloted Aircraft Regulations became law. Since then, the Drone industry has made tremendous strides. Seeing this growth prompted Precision Aerial, the host of Zimbabwe Flying Labs, to hold the first-ever Zimbabwe International Drone Conference in 2021. They created a platform that brought together key stakeholders within the industry. 

In 2022, ZiDC marked a new era of dialogue within the drone industry, bringing CAAZ, drone industry pioneers, key stakeholders, and prospective industry newcomers. 

The event's guest of honor and the keynote speaker was the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe, Dr. Engineer Elijah Chingosho. First, he gave delegates an overview of the industry. Next, Mr. Alex Chiduwa, the Flight Operations Inspector, presented on drone regulations. This gave a clear understanding of the regulations and the steps to take for operators to conduct their activities within the framework of the laws of Zimbabwe. 

Seasoned Captions of industry took the stage, both local and international speakers. The topics ranged from drones in security, agriculture, mining, conservation, software, AI learning, and regulations. 

Cleopa, from Kenya Flying Labs, took the stage to showcase how drones are used for traffic management. While Tawanda Chihambakwe, the managing director of Zimbabwe Flying Labs, took a deep dive into drones in agriculture. They focused on how the technology promotes food security through monitoring crop health, precision agriculture, and making timely decisions that will help farmers take corrective action, thus impacting crop yield positively. The conference concluded with the first public drone display held 40 km outside Harare. The Drone Demo Day allowed the public to see the different drones. Drones range from mapping, mining, agriculture, AI, software, and drones used for security.

Zimbabwe Flying Labs continues to advocate for more dialogue with the different stakeholders and educate the public about the other use cases and opportunities in the drone industry. We look forward to yet another exciting conference in 2023. If you would like to be a part of the next conference, please contact us at zimbabwe@flyinglabs.org.