In the official launch of Drone Council South Africa, Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams welcomed the new organisation and looked forward to establishing a solid foundation for drone operations in South Africa.
The council is an industry response to create a platform to represent established companies and new entrants into the industry. The council’s main objective is to organize its members and other stakeholders to enhance robust development of the drone economy in South Africa.
Postponed launch in May 2020 has now taken place and the Drone Economy Workgroup has developed position papers on three workstreams:
- Drone Industry SMME Incubation and Licensing
- Drone Industry Development and
- Drone Industry Data and regulatory environment.
Drone Council South Africa supports engagement by all role-players to help the country achieve the following three-year targets:
- South Africa’s drone economy should formally have a country strategy to claim at least 5% market share of the global drone economy.
- Institutionalise a catch-up action plan between government, regulators and drone business. Further institutionalising a dynamic drone business council to help industry to self-regulate, register and monitor.
- Focus on the parts of the value chain that are applicable in Africa as well as projecting a global commercial appeal.
- Enable the industry to grow on a commercial level platform, by removing the perception that regulators are every drone operators’ competitor.
- By increasing investment into human capital in the drone industry. to operate drones and innovate new drone related services.
- Fast-track and increase investment in innovation, research and development in the drone sector.
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