A total of 10 youths, between the ages 18 of 35 from across Kenya, have been chosen and trained in drone technology through a Kenyan drone training competition. Participants were selected out of 122 applicants for the Kenyan Agri-drone Business Competition, in order to come up with innovative ways of how drones can be used in farming, to improve crop yield and production in Kenya. The competition, according to reports, is coming in view of the urgent need to increase food security by improving crop yield and production.
It was gathered that out of the 122 persons that applied for the programme from 24 counties, only 25 were selected and were engaged virtually for five days, out of which 10 were finally selected. The 10 have been engaged physically and taught how to fly Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), otherwise known as drones by the Kenyan Drone Business Competition, organised in partnership with Global Air Drone Academy and Kenya Flying Labs. The training, which started in March, is expected to run till June 2023.
The finalists were also said to have had the opportunity to pitch their business plans to a panel of judges, after which, three winners were announced and awarded with a Remote Pilot Licence (RPL) training through a scholarship to Dronector’s Training Academy from Dronector, a leading drone technology training organisation in East Africa. They were also presented with drones and cinema kits donated by Skydio, a leading United States drone manufacturer and training resources with Drone Deploy licenses from Drone Deploy. According to the Co-founder of Global Air Drone Academy Eno Umoh, the Kenyan Drone Business Competition was organised in partnership with Global Air Drone Academy and Kenya Flying Labs with the aim of fostering innovation and developing the entrepreneurial abilities of young technology entrepreneurs in Kenya.