SORA Technology, a Japanese drone-based solutions and aerial technology provider, is expanding its operations to Nigeria and 14 other African countries in a sweeping push to curb malaria using AI-powered drones.
Starting August 25, the firm will deploy fleets of fixed-wing drones across high-risk areas, where they will identify mosquito breeding sites and spray larvicides with precision, an approach it says can reduce chemical use by 70% and cut operational costs in half.
The expansion comes amid growing urgency for new disease-fighting tools as Africa continues to bear the brunt of the global malaria crisis. The continent accounts for over 90% of global cases and deaths, costing African economies an estimated $12 billion annually. With climate change expanding mosquito habitats and resistance to traditional treatments increasing, SORA’s drone-based Larval Source Management (LSM) model offers a more targeted, tech-driven alternative to wide-area spraying campaigns.
With this rollout, SORA will increase its presence in Africa from 6 to 15 countries, including Sierra Leone, Ghana, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, DR Congo, Cote D’Ivoire, Senegal, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Togo. Each country will receive about 100 drones.
The move positions the company to tap into the continent’s growing drone spraying market, valued at around $100 million. It will also bring SORA into direct competition with Zipline Africa, which operates the largest drone service on the continent.
But SORA CEO Yosuke Kaneko insists the two companies are more collaborators than competitors.
Zipline, with strong operations in countries like Rwanda and Ghana, specialises in rapid, long-range delivery of medical supplies via fixed-wing drones from centralized hubs. SORA’s approach is broader, covering a range of public health efforts, such as mosquito spraying, disease surveillance, and medical deliveries, often integrated into local health campaigns across Africa and Asia. Though malaria control is a key priority, SORA also targets agriculture, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors. Its drones are designed for tasks like crop monitoring, pesticide spraying, irrigation, and logistics support.
SORA flies fixed-wing drones with AI cameras that scan mosquito breeding areas like swamps, farms, and riverbanks before spraying them. The AI then analyses the images to identify and map high-risk breeding sites. Larvicides—chemicals or biological agents used to kill mosquito larvae— are sprayed with drones only in those specific areas.
“We use two types of AI,” said Kaneko. “Imaging AI helps us find and map mosquito breeding sites, while deep learning helps us rank which ones pose the highest risk.”
This method, known as Larval Source Management (LSM), has already been deployed in countries like Ghana and Sierra Leone. It reduces insecticide usage by up to 70% and cuts labour and operational costs by around 50%, according to Kaneko, while working with local health ministries, community leaders, and trained residents for local impact and acceptance.
Launched in 2018 after early groundwork in 2015, SORA raised $4.8 million in seed funding in March 2025, from investors including Nissay Capital, SMBC Venture Capital, DRONE FUND, and Rheos Capital Partners. The new capital will support the growth of drone operations, improve AI-based disease forecasting, and hire key talent. SORA is also preparing to sell a malaria-focused drone starting in August, and has plans to build an assembly plant in Africa.
By year-end, the company aims to reach 100,000 people across the continent. “They’ve always shown interest in drone technology,” Kaneko said of African governments. “But never had the means to implement it. That’s the gap we are helping to close.”
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