Local Social Structures as Enablers and Barriers for AI Enabled Medical Drone Delivery: Early Evidence from a Developing Economy

Authors

Evode Ndayishimiye, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Walter Uys, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Edda Weimann, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Published in

IST-Africa 2026 Conference Proceedings

ISSN: 2576-8581

ISBN: 978-1-905824-76-2

DOI: https://doi.org/tbc

Publisher

IST-Africa Institute and IIMC International Information Management Corporation Ltd

Published in Ireland

Abstract

Medical Drone Delivery Systems (MDDS) such as Zipline in Rwanda have grown to become one of the most cutting-edge responses to the healthcare supply problems in low and middle income countries (LMICs). MDDS employ Artificial Intelligence (AI) for autonomous flight and route optimisation, but their sustainability under long-term use is rarely considered especially in relation to local social structures that favour or limit success. Drawing on Structuration Theory and taking a sociomaterial perspective, this multimethod qualitative and quantitative study examines how community trust, governance norms, and regulations shape MDDS sustainability. This study used semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis. Findings identify strong public government trust as a core societal enabler, and technical constraints (including 3 kgs payload limit and stringent airspace regulations) as barriers. This paper provides early empirical evidence regarding AI-based drone logistics and actionable insights for policymakers seeking to integrate MDDS into national healthcare systems.

Keywords

AI in Healthcare, Medical Drone Delivery Systems (MDDS), Operational Sustainability, Sociomateriality, Structuration Theory

Cite this paper

E. Ndayishimiye, W. Uys and E. Weimann (2026) "Local Social Structures as Enablers and Barriers for AI Enabled Medical Drone Delivery: Early Evidence from a Developing Economy", IST-Africa 2026 Conference Proceedings, Miriam Cunningham and Paul Cunningham (Eds), IST-Africa Institute and IIMC, 2026, ISSN: 2576-8581, ISBN: 978-1-905824-76-2, https://doi.org/tbc

Access Paper

Click here to access this paper.

IST-Africa Community Members can download papers by logging into their existing account.

If you wish to become a member of IST-Africa Community, pleaseregister your profile and you will then receive login details which you can use to access the papers.

Access to papers in the IST-Africa 2026 Conference Proceedings is for INDIVIDUAL USE only. Neither the Conference Proceedings (or individual double blind peer reviewed papers) are to be included in any public or institutional repository or processed in the context of any AI tool or large language model without prior written permission from the Publishers.

While the IST-Africa Institute and IIMC retain copyright of the Conference Proceedings, each author retains copyright to their individual paper. No paper or part thereof may be reproduced without the written permission of both the Conference Proceedings Publishers and appropriate author(s).