Reaching for the sky
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 23 November 2021
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Memory Sidira is buzzing with excitement as she talks about what she is learning during her course at Malawi’s Drone and Data Academy - the first of its kind in Africa. The Academy’s aim is to build local expertise for Malawi’s expanding drone industry and to teach young Africans from across the continent 21st Century skills in drone flight and data analysis. Ruth Evans hears how drones are inspiring young Africans like Memory to reach for the sky.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Music |
| 0:04.0 | Music |
| 0:09.0 | Our memory is Sidiya. I am best in Lilaonga Malawi. |
| 0:13.0 | I am melodic in the African-Drena de la Kadamir right now |
| 0:17.0 | and it is a very exciting experience I tell you. |
| 0:20.0 | Music |
| 0:23.0 | Memory Sidiya is just buzzing with excitement as she tells me about her course at Malawi's drone and data academy, |
| 0:31.0 | the first of its kind in Africa. |
| 0:34.0 | I'm Ruth Evans and in this BBC World Service programme we'll be hearing how drones are inspiring young Malawi and's light memory to reach for the sky. |
| 0:45.0 | And how this 21st century technology is set to transform one of the poorest countries in Africa. |
| 0:53.0 | The introduction of this technology is exciting and actually a learning a lot here at this academy. |
| 0:59.0 | They're tearing us about many applications of the drone and how they connect with the whole of us as a country. |
| 1:05.0 | These are pretty high speeds for a quadcopter. |
| 1:08.0 | So if you're just talking about a hover, we can have a few knots of wing like Fights and Ten Nights, the endurance is going to go up. |
| 1:17.0 | The academy which opened in January 2020 is a partnership between Malawi's government, UNICEF, International and local educational institutions and support from German Development Cooperation. |
| 1:30.0 | It's aim is to build local expertise for Malawi's expanding drone industry and to teach young Africans from across the continent 21st century skills in drone flight and data analysis. |
| 1:45.0 | They're telling us the physics of this technology how it can be able to be applied and solve many problems out there. |
| 1:55.0 | And I think it's a very good platform for us as Africa, used to learn more. |
| 2:02.0 | We know that you have the brains and everything but this is a very good award for needed. |
| 2:08.0 | The academy runs a number of courses to train students to fly, build and maintain drones and analyze the data they can collect. |
| 2:18.0 | When it first opened last year, it attracted applications from across Africa. But COVID restrictions have meant that this year's cohort is composed entirely of young Malawians like memory. |
| 2:32.0 | I come from the other northern part of Malawi, Rumpi and my graduate student from Wielonguan Vesteel, Vagrikaccia, Natural Resources. |
... |
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