The African Development Bank and Aerosense Inc have signed an agreement to advance cooperation and projects in drone technology in Africa. Aerosense Inc. is a leading Japanese company engaged in drone manufacturing.

Representatives of both institutions signed a Letter of Intent on Thursday August 21, on the sidelines of the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama, Japan. The agreement was signed by Mr. Solomon Quaynor, Vice President  for Private Sector, Infrastructure & Industrialisation, AfDB and Mr. Kohtaro Sabe, President & CEO, Aerosense Inc.

The agreement formalises a relationship of mutual co-operation, assistance, information and knowledge sharing between the two institutions, exploring co-financing and deal opportunities and appropriate coordination of actions between them and their respective teams, specifically concerning the promotion of sustainable infrastructure solutions in Africa.

Aerosense Inc.’s drone solution was selected through a call for proposals under the African Development Bank’s Sustainable Road Maintenance Programme for Africa (SRMPA) in June 2025.

Under the agreement, the Bank will facilitate coordination with the public sector, lead awareness-raising campaigns, support capacity building for local partners, and explore possible debt (and/or equity) financing support for projects related to the deployment of drone solutions.

Aerosense Inc. on its part, would conduct demand studies for drone solution in target African markets, perform technical feasibility studies for the application of drone solution, considering local geographical conditions, and explore possible deployment opportunities upon positive feasibility study results.

Quaynor said that: “The programme is a bold response to Africa’s growing infrastructure challenges. By partnering with Aerosense, we will not only promote efficient road management but also consider promoting other unique solutions such as disaster management, river/flooding control, agricultural sensing, and medical equipment delivery.

Sabe stated that: “It is a great honour to serve the people in Africa with our Japanese technology for enhancing their quality of life. We are looking forward to collaborating with AfDB to build a better future together in a concrete manner”.