Polish unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturer, Farada Group, has received regulatory approval to set up a drone production facility at the Konza Technopolis, a smart city being developed near Nairobi.
The multi-million dollar investment which could create a major boost to Kenya’s technology sector, will create Farada’s first African manufacturing base and supply port for the continent’s rapidly growing drone market.
“We intend to take up land at Konza to establish a drone manufacturing company for Kenya and the whole of Africa,” confirmed Farada Group chairman Adam Cudny. “We have all the necessary approvals and have established a local company to implement the project.“
Founded in 2021, Farada specializes in unmanned aerial systems (drones) used for tasks like surveillance, disaster monitoring, and delivery of essential goods like medical supplies. Its industrial drones can carry payloads of up to one tonne.
The Kenyan facility’s drones will target a wide range of clients, from the national wildlife service monitoring parks, to power utilities surveilling their transmission lines, county governments distributing medicine, and logistics firms shipping cargo.
Konza’s technology hub, currently under construction few kilometers from Nairobi, is actively courting such cutting-edge investments with specialized zones like a “drone designer” area to facilitate UAV assembly and operations.
The Farada announcement follows February’s state visit by Polish President Andrzej Duda, who alongside the company pledged to donate a surveillance drone to the Kenya Wildlife Service.
“We have kept our promise and delivered the drone committed during the President’s trip,” Farada Group’s Joanna Rutkowski, said.
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Farada’s Kenyan investment also comes on the heels of European aerospace giant Airbus unveiling plans last December to base its first high-altitude communication drone operations in the East African nation – potentially creating 1,000 local jobs.
As demand for UAV technology soars across Africa, the new manufacturing hub cements Kenya’s positioning as a regional drone powerhouse capitalizing on the Fourth Industrial Revolution.