When the Rwandan government partnered with Zipline, the Silicon Valley company that delivers essential medical products by drone, it set an important example of how governments and companies can work together to leverage the power of technology to benefit society.

The World Economic Forum announced at its annual meetings in Davos, Switzerland, that Rwanda will be the first country to adopt performance-based regulations for all drones.

I think there are obviously still some major challenges. One of the things is the benefits are not yet fully understood because so few drone programs are at scale. Other challenges have to do with cost, regulation, and capacity on the ground, as well issues with data ethics, privacy, and operational safety.

This means regulators can specify safety standards drones have to meet, but will then take their mission and operations into account, which could open the door for more operators, including those focused on global health, international development, and humanitarian response objectives.

And it could serve as a model for other countries finding their own way on a key theme at this year’s annual meetings: agile governance of emerging technologies.

Read the full article on drone regulation by Catherine Cheney at Devex International Development