After graduating from high school in the Scientific Section A at the Lycée du Lac Tanganyika, Gadus NIYONZIMA obtained a scholarship which led him to the Polytechnic School (EPI-Polytechnique) of the city of Sousse in Tunisia, where he is currently studying in Electrical Engineering and Embedded Systems. This young Burundian student is at the head of the WOTE Company, which manufactures drones to help deliver medical equipment (vaccines, blood bags, samples, medicine, anti-venom, etc.) to isolated rural areas that are difficult to reach by vehicles.
Since childhood, Gadus NIYONZIMA has been passionate about everything related to robotics and new technologies. Thus, he chose to specialize in Electronics Applied to Drones. At the end of November 2019, the gates are open to him. He takes advantage of the call for applications from KUFANYA, a project incubator for students and migrants in Tunisia, to propose his project to create the company WOTE.
Gadus says that in the beginning, as is the case when every company is born, it was difficult for WOTE to take the first step. “But, as we were driven by the desire to achieve our various objectives, we persevered. This is how since the beginning of our adventure, we have been able to sign technical and financial partnerships. We also participated in several support programs,” he reveals.
Why WOTE?
“WOTE is a Swahili word which means ALL. Indeed, we would like, through our project, to allow the majority of the population to access health care as quickly as possible. Hence our slogan is “Health for all”, explains Gadus NIYONZIMA.
The choice to create this project in Tunisia, he said, is due to the various advantages that Tunisia offers such as the entrepreneurial ecosystem (incubator and accelerator) which is easily accessible. “But also the technological advances of this country are conducive to our project,” he adds.
Gadus NIYONZIMA tells that the WOTE project stems from the observation of the lack of road infrastructure and hospitals in Africa. “But also, it comes from my own desire to apply the knowledge acquired in order to contribute to the development of Africa,” he continues.
Medical rescue drones!
“Our drones are made in Tunisia with electronic equipment that is either ordered from other countries or purchased here in Tunisia and assembled by our team,” says Gadus NIYONZIMA, founder of WOTE.
These drones manufactured within the WOTE Company facilitate medical delivery largely for emergency medical products including blood bags, medical laboratory analyses, etc. Gadus promises that Burundi will soon benefit from these drones manufactured within WOTE. “It’s ideal to be able to put our project at the service of the country,” he said.
Given the crucial importance of these drones in the field of health, the innovator Gadus proposes the facilitation of drones in the various laws that govern this sector in order to carry out certain tests easily. As he points out, for the moment, WOTE only focuses on the medical field. “But over time and given the progress of our project, we may be able to think about diversifying our sectors of activity,” he precises.
The WOTE Company is largely composed of three figures including Gadus NIYONZIMA and Sarah MELLOULI (of Tunisian nationality), two engineering students in electronics as well as Joshua King ISEZERANO, the representative of WOTE in Burundi.
