Even when hope fades, supply chains carry aid to those in need
281 humanitarian workers were killed in 2024, yet supply chains kept on moving, as over 305 million people are still in need of humanitarian assistance.
Photo: ICRC
In a world torn by conflict, climate change, and unprecedented displacement, one thing remains constant: the urgent need for humanitarian aid. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 305.1 million people globally require humanitarian assistance and protection in 2025. Behind this staggering figure are lives disrupted in war zones, communities uprooted by disasters, and families struggling to find food, water, and shelter.
The challenge of responding to this scale of need lies not only in raising funds or mobilising international support, but in the often-overlooked backbone of humanitarian action: logistics. Without the ability to transport food, medicines, shelter materials, and emergency cash to the people who need them most, humanitarian promises remain just that—promises. Supply chains transform those promises into survival.
The growing scale of humanitarian crises
Of the 305 million people in need, 85 million are from Southern and Eastern Africa, 59 million from the Middle East and North Africa, and around 57 million from West and Central Africa. The rest includes populations in Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe.
The report highlights the disproportionate suffering of vulnerable groups: “The most vulnerable are the worst betrayed: around one in every five children in the world—approximately 400 million—are living in or fleeing from conflict zones. And women and girls are too often the worst hit, amid inadequate health care and an epidemic of gender-based violence.”
The crisis map shows Africa at its core: countries like Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo feature prominently in the global humanitarian landscape. Another report, the 2024 Most Neglected Crises Report by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), lists Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Mali, Uganda, the DRC, and Somalia among the most “invisible” humanitarian emergencies—underreported and underfunded despite immense need.
“The distances between countries, seaports, airports, and major highways are significant, requiring careful planning for any logistics operation.”Cormac O’Sullivan, Kuehne+Nagel
As of 2025, more than 247 million people across 31 countries studied require critical humanitarian aid. Sudan is at the forefront, with 30.4 million people—12.29% of the global total— in need of urgent assistance. Afghanistan follows with nearly 23 million people, or 9.24% of the overall requirements. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, and Yemen each account for about 20 million people in dire conditions, while Syria and Ukraine have 16.6 million and 12.7 million people affected, respectively.
Africa: The humanitarian epicentre
“When we talk about Africa, we often refer to one continent, but it comprises 54 countries, covers 30.37 million square kilometres, and is home to over 1.5 billion people. Africa is roughly three times larger than Europe by land area, which means the potential impact of natural disasters, conflicts, or climate-related challenges affecting water and food supplies is far greater than in many other parts of the world,” said Cormac O’Sullivan, Global Director of Emergency and Relief Logistics, Kuehne+Nagel.
On this vast continent, crises overlap in relentless waves.
In Sudan, war since April 2023 has triggered the world’s largest displacement crisis, leaving 11 million people internally displaced and 3.1 million across borders. More than half the population now depends on aid. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), over 25 million people need assistance as insecurity, poverty, and disease overwhelm fragile infrastructure. Rain turns roads into rivers of mud, while armed groups often block convoys.
Emergency and critical aid relief in South Sudan. Photo: Kuehne+Nagel
The Sahel region faces a convergence of violence, climate shocks, and poverty. As Charles Bernimolin, Head of OCHA’s Regional Office for West and Central Africa, noted: “Nearly 29 million people across the region are now in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. Behind each figure in this Humanitarian Needs and Response Overview is a human being—a mother, a child, a grandparent—struggling to survive.”
In Southern Africa, climate change has amplified extreme weather. Mozambique, struck by three cyclones—Chido, Dikeledi, and Jude—between December 2024 and March 2025, remains in perpetual recovery. Entire communities lost homes, food, and sanitation. The European Commission mobilised €41 million in April 2025, including €17 million to Mozambique. Relief flights from Nairobi carried 60 tonnes of shelter and sanitation supplies, a lifeline for thousands.
Barriers to Aid
By mid-2024, the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide hit 123 million, including 43.7 million refugees and 72.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). Africa accounts for some of the largest flows: from Sudan and South Sudan to the DRC, Somalia, and Burkina Faso.
Displacement complicates logistics. Camps demand regular food distribution, water and sanitation systems, and mobile health supplies. Each new wave shifts supply chains, creating bottlenecks and forcing aid agencies to adapt quickly.
“The level of support varies from country to country, but the ICRC generally enjoys collaborative relationships with African governments and regulatory authorities.”Mauro E. Iacona, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Yet displacement is only part of the problem. Funding is the Achilles’ heel. The UN appealed for $47.4 billion in 2025, but in 2024 humanitarian operations received just 43% of the requested funds. Shortfalls force agonising choices: who gets food, shelter, or medicine—and who waits.
On the ground, the obstacles multiply. Mauro E. Iacona, Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Nairobi hub, explained, “Humanitarian organisations face several interrelated challenges when delivering aid. Many directly impact the speed, cost, and safety of logistical operations in Africa. Ongoing armed conflicts restrict staff movements and render supply routes unsafe, sometimes forcing reliance on costly air transport. Poor road networks, seasonal flooding, and weak bridges slow deliveries, wear out fleets, and drive up costs. We also face regulatory hurdles—complex import procedures and changing customs regulations delay the rapid deployment of vital supplies.”
Adding to that, Mauro E. Iacona, Head of the Logistics Support Center of the ICRC in Nairobi, said “At the same time, the humanitarian sector is having global funding constraints and growing humanitarian needs across the continent are putting increasing pressure on financial resources. Unpredictable or insufficient funding affects our ability to reposition stocks, scale up during emergencies and maintain cost-effective supply chains.”
The climate emergency is now inseparable from humanitarian logistics. The world edged closer to 1.5°C warming in 2024—the hottest year on record. Africa alone saw nearly 90 million displaced in climate high-risk zones. Floods in the Congo Basin, drought in the Horn of Africa, and repeated cyclones in Mozambique are reshaping aid priorities.
Security risks remain constant. 281 humanitarian workers were killed in 2024, the highest ever. In Africa, aid convoys face ambushes in the Sahel, checkpoints in the DRC, and crossfire in Sudan. Despite these risks, supply chains keep moving.
O’Sullivan of Kuehne+Nagel stressed the vastness of Africa as a logistical challenge: “The distances between countries, seaports, airports, and major highways are significant, requiring careful planning for any logistics operation. Infrastructure development, therefore, is a key factor in enabling fast and reliable emergency and relief logistics. Likewise, the standardisation and liberalisation of customs clearance procedures would greatly benefit all stakeholders, especially when humanitarian aid involves cross-border delivery.”
Customs regulations remain one of the thorniest issues. Sanjeev Gadhia, CEO of Astral Aviation, Africa’s only dedicated cargo airline working closely with UN agencies and NGOs, echoed this: bureaucratic delays slow down response times, particularly when aid must cross borders quickly.
Photo: Chapman Freeborn
Hanno Burwitz, Head of Commercial Middle East, Africa, South Asia & CIS at Lufthansa Cargo, agreed: “In general, lower bureaucratic hurdles and a faster adaptation to digitalised solutions within the airfreight industry would improve efficiency even more. Additionally, varied customs regulations and bureaucratic delays continue to pose challenges. While efforts are underway to harmonise these processes, regulatory hurdles persist.”
Despite difficulties, Iacona noted that relationships with governments are generally constructive: “The level of support varies from country to country, but the ICRC generally enjoys collaborative relationships with African governments and regulatory authorities. In many contexts, our mandate is understood and respected, often facilitating customs clearance and preventing delays. However, challenges remain, particularly when responding to sudden crises.”
“Chapman Freeborn can supply aircraft capable of serving regions with damaged infrastructure or airstrips where scheduled services cannot land, or we can set up airdrop operations.”Tohir Choriev, Chapman Freeborn
While barriers persist, operators continue to innovate. Tohir Choriev, Head of Government and Humanitarian Projects – IMEA, Chapman Freeborn, explained their approach: “We ensure the speedy delivery of vital aid, enable passenger and medical evacuations, provide rapid crisis response, and deploy the most suitable aircraft and equipment for even the most remote or inaccessible areas. Chapman Freeborn can supply aircraft capable of serving regions with damaged infrastructure or airstrips where scheduled services cannot land, or we can set up airdrop operations. We also offer aircraft under long-term ACMI agreements to ensure sustained support for ongoing humanitarian operations.”
A system that refuses to stop
Even in the face of conflict, climate disasters, and funding shortfalls, the machinery of humanitarian logistics refuses to stop. When war closes roads, supply chains turn to air. When borders shut, agencies pre-position stocks in neighbouring countries. When budgets shrink, logisticians prioritise the most life-saving items. Every delay could mean lives lost, and every successful delivery sustains survival.
The results are tangible. In 2024, despite severe underfunding, humanitarian actors delivered food aid to more than 5 million people, provided water and sanitation to 3.3 million, and gave nearly 1 million children access to education. Behind these numbers lie teams navigating logistical nightmares—blocked roads, disrupted ports, extreme weather, and fragile infrastructures.
“In November 2024, Lufthansa Cargo delivered 100,000 Mpox vaccines from Brussels to Kinshasa, demonstrating a crucial role in global health initiatives.”
Hanno Burwitz, Lufthansa Cargo
Talking about experience, Gadhia said, “Astral Aviation has been at the forefront of humanitarian air cargo for over two decades, providing rapid response to crises across Africa. We support humanitarian organisations to deliver aid through our scheduled and charter flights that we operate in over 50 destinations across Africa. During emergencies such as drought, floods, epidemics, conflict etc., we frequently serve regions in the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan), the Great Lakes (DRC, Rwanda, Burundi), and parts of Southern Africa (Malawi, Mozambique etc). Our ability to mobilise quickly allows us to deliver aid directly into affected areas, even when infrastructures are limited.”
Every delivery of food, shelter, or medicine must overcome immense challenges. Convoys weave across the deserts of Niger and Mali. Airlifts ferry medicines into Sudan when roads are blocked. Ships carry supplies along the Mozambican coast after storms cut inland access. These operations rely on precise planning, coordination with local authorities, and the ability to reroute in real time.
At the heart of these operations is Nairobi, home to major humanitarian logistics hubs. The ICRC Logistics Support Center and the EU’s humanitarian warehouse both operate out of the city. Between July 2024 and June 2025, the ICRC alone dispatched nearly 6,000 tonnes of aid—equivalent to 2,000 truckloads per month.
“Our teams on the ground face obstacles ranging from climate and geographical access to the acceptance of our humanitarian work by all armed actors,” said Iacona of ICRC. Aid shipments moved into Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Mozambique, Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Cameroon, carrying surgical kits, hospital equipment, and chlorine for water purification.
Gadhia added, “On average, we transport between 1,000–3,000 tonnes of humanitarian cargo annually, depending on the scale of emergencies. This includes food aid, healthcare shipments, medical equipment, and non-food relief items. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we played a major role in distributing vaccines and PPEs (personal protective equipment) across all African countries.”
Even when governments declare a medical emergency, supply chain players come into play. In the second week of September 2025, the landlocked country of Botswana in southern Africa received a critical lifeline as 36.5 tonnes of essential medicines and medical supplies were flown in to ease its public health emergency, which was declared last week as shortages of essential medicines and equipment worsened. The 36.5-tonne shipment, coordinated by IDA Foundation, was prepared at Kuehne+Nagel’s Dubai hub, handed over to A.P. Moller–Maersk, and finally transported by Astral Aviation on a Boeing 767-200F. Sources revealed that the Botswana President Duma Gideon Boko personally inspected the consignment in Dubai, praising the professionalism of IDA Foundation and Kuehne+Nagel in ensuring the delivery of urgently needed healthcare supplies amid economic strain and severe shortages.
In September 2025, Astral Aviation also flew 12 tonnes of WHO emergency supplies from Nairobi to the DRC to support the Ebola outbreak response, including PPE for 120 frontline workers, isolation materials, and hygiene kits.
Chapman Freeborn’s Choriev highlighted their operational breadth: “Recent missions include passenger evacuation flights linked to the MINUSMA liquidation in Central, Western, and Eastern Africa, as well as humanitarian operations in the Mozambique Channel region. In West Africa alone, Chapman Freeborn has successfully completed over 400 flights. Our partner organisations include UN agencies, NGOs, government offices, and freight forwarders.” MINUSMA, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, was launched in 2013 to stabilise the country and support political processes. After a decade of operations, it officially shut down its Ansongo base in November 2023.
Similarly, Lufthansa Cargo plays a key role. Burwitz said, “In November 2024, Lufthansa Cargo delivered 100,000 Mpox vaccines from Brussels to Kinshasa, demonstrating a crucial role in global health initiatives. This mission involved collaboration between the EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid, the German Embassy in Brussels, Brussels Airport, Swissport, and World Courier.”
“On average, we transport between 1,000–3,000 tonnes of humanitarian cargo annually, depending on the scale of emergencies.”
Sanjeev Gadhia, Astral Aviation
He added, “Our freighter fleet of up to 18 B777F and four A321F allows flexible operations. Our hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Brussels, and Rome offer multiple routing options. Additionally, belly capacities on 145 weekly flights to over 20 African destinations support resilient supply chains.”
Yet no amount of aid is ever enough, and the need for innovation continues. Burwitz said, “A matter of heart and social responsibility for Lufthansa Cargo is the support of 'Cargo Human Care e. V.' (CHC) since 2007, founded by Lufthansa employees and German doctors, to provide professional medical help to people in Nairobi and assistance to young orphans, mostly in rural areas around Nairobi.”
Even when hope fades
Despite obstacles, supply chains keep moving. Aid flows into Somalia through Mogadishu and out by truck to drought-hit villages. Helicopters land on makeshift pads in Sudan. Barges ferry supplies along the Congo River. In Malawi, cholera treatment kits reach communities within days of outbreaks.
The results, though never enough, are tangible. In 2024, humanitarian agencies fed 5 million people, supported 4.8 million farmers, provided clean water to 3.3 million, delivered emergency education to nearly 1 million children, and supported over 600,000 with shelter.
Astral Aviation also flew 12 tonnes of WHO emergency supplies from Nairobi to the DRC to support the Ebola outbreak response
ICRC has had a long-standing presence in Africa. Iacona added, “Our teams face obstacles ranging from climate and geographical access to acceptance by all armed actors. In 2024 alone, the ICRC had 28 delegations and missions in Africa, including Sudan, DRC, the Lake Chad region, and the Sahel. We provided food support to 2 million, assisted 4.1 million to improve food production, and supported over 1 million with income. Nearly 9.7 million benefited from water and habitat projects. In healthcare, we supported 343 health centres, 311 hospitals, and 89 physical rehabilitation projects.”
Behind each number is a supply chain—warehouse managers in Nairobi, truck drivers on Sahel highways, pilots flying into cyclone-hit Mozambique. These are the quiet enablers of survival, the invisible arteries of humanitarian action.
Unlike e-commerce shipments, humanitarian shipments delayed by even a day can cost lives. According to Iacona, “For urgent deliveries, air transport is the fastest option and is therefore prioritised. For regular shipments, road transport is used from our Nairobi hub, as in Ethiopia, South Sudan, and eastern DRC. Sea transport is preferred for bulky cargo to Nigeria and Port Sudan. Mozambique relies on multimodal transport; in West Africa, air shipments are more common.”
Adding to that, Gadhia said, “Air cargo complements sea, road, and rail by addressing the ‘last-mile’ gap. Astral ensures critical shipments—vaccines, medical supplies, rescue equipment—reach affected areas. Time is of the essence. When nothing can reach on time, drones come into play. Drones complement cargo aircraft. While our freighters deliver bulk aid into regional hubs, drones extend reach into remote areas for the final mile.”
Wings unfold, hope descends
If Zipline’s operations in Ghana demonstrate the life-saving potential of medical drone logistics, then the work of other innovators shows how this technology is reshaping humanitarian aid across Africa.
“The Wingcopter 198 delivery drone includes a certified cold chain solution which ensures the adequate handling and transportation of medicines, vaccines and laboratory samples.”
Benjamin Pahlich, Wingcopter
In Ghana’s Ashanti Region, postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) once claimed too many mothers’ lives due to delays in accessing blood and medicines. Now, Zipline’s drones are rewriting the story. A study co-authored by the Ghana Health Service and Zipline found a 56.4% reduction in maternal mortality at facilities served by drones compared to those without. The impact stretches further: a 2022 IDinsight study showed 66% fewer patients miss treatment for severe malaria thanks to faster deliveries, while a Gates Foundation–funded study confirmed a 60% reduction in vaccine stockouts and a 42% drop in missed vaccination opportunities.
Beyond Ghana, Zipline has scaled rapidly. In Rwanda, its drones have completed more than one million deliveries, ensuring blood and emergency medicines arrive in under 30 minutes. In Nigeria, Zipline is serving multiple states, delivering antivenoms, blood, and vaccines to regions where poor roads once meant deadly delays.
While Zipline has become the most recognised name in Africa’s drone logistics, other players are bringing complementary capabilities. Wingcopter, a German manufacturer, has operated in Malawi since 2019, working with UNICEF, GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit - German Corporation for International Cooperation), and the Ministry of Health. To date, Wingcopter has completed more than 2,150 deliveries, transporting over 5,000 medical products to 25 remote health facilities. Its flagship Wingcopter 198 drone is fully electric, designed with full redundancy and a lifespan of over 10,000 flight hours, making it one of the most reliable delivery drones in the market. It carries 4 kg up to 35 km one-way or 70 km round-trip under BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight). Moreover, Benjamin Pahlich, Senior Business Development Manager at Wingcopter, mentioned, “The Wingcopter 198 delivery drone includes a certified cold chain solution which ensures the adequate handling and transportation of medicines, vaccines and laboratory samples.”
Much of Wingcopter’s endurance testing is carried out in Malawi at 1,300m above sea level to adapt to African weather conditions. In Kenya, it partnered with Siemens Healthineers to pilot the transport of laboratory samples, generating lessons for scaling diagnostic access in underserved regions. Since its founding in 2017, Wingcopter has worked closely with governments in Malawi, Kenya, and Tanzania and cooperated with NGOs and corporates such as UNICEF, GIZ, DHL, and Siemens Healthineers.
At the heavier end of the spectrum, Windracers offers scale where bulk aid is required. Its aircraft can deliver up to 150 kilograms of humanitarian aid over 1,000 kilometres without landing. “In a sector facing growing cost constraints, Windracers enables affordable, safe, fast deployment without compromising impact,” said Charlie Goldsmith, Humanitarian and Global Development Use Cases Lead, Windracers. The company is preparing to operate at Malawi’s Kasungu Humanitarian Drone Test Corridor and plans missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo with Aviation Sans Frontières later this year.
Windracers has already shown resilience in extreme environments: it supported the UK’s NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic, transported samples between hospitals, and worked with the British Antarctic Survey in some of the harshest conditions on earth.
“In a sector facing growing cost constraints, Windracers enables affordable, safe, fast deployment without compromising impact.”Charlie Goldsmith, Windracers
The timing of these innovations is critical. The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) announced cuts of a fifth of its fleet this year due to a £73.5 million funding shortfall, part of what OCHA has called “the deepest funding cuts ever.” By mid-2025, less than 13% of the $44 billion requested under the Global Humanitarian Overview had been received. “We have been forced into a triage of human survival,” admitted Tom Fletcher, OCHA’s Emergency Relief Coordinator.
With conventional fleets shrinking, drones are proving indispensable. From Zipline’s fast maternal health interventions to Wingcopter’s cold-chain vaccine deliveries, to Windracers’ long-range heavy cargo capacity, drones are not just innovations—they are becoming the backbone of humanitarian logistics in Africa.
