Reflections from our Drone Regulations Co-Creation Workshops in Kenya

Creating responsible and safe regulations and policies for emerging technologies is a complex task. For example, for drone regulations, most regulators miss local data and insights on how drones are used in the country, their potential to drive economic growth and address social issues, and the key challenges faced by the actors in the local drone ecosystem. However, this information is crucial for the development of drone regulations that are relevant, safe and applicable by everyone in the country flying a drone, from commercial, non-profit and academic drone pilots to hobbyists and personal users. 

To fill this gap, WeRobotics, Namibia Flying Labs, and Deloitte D2international created the Flying Labs Drone Regulations Engagement Framework throughout 2023 to inform drone regulations in the Global South. This framework offers a methodology for co-creating locally relevant insights and recommendations with all current and future actors within local drone ecosystems.

From 29th to 31st July 2024, WeRobotics and Kenya Flying Labs put this Framework into action for the first time by hosting a series of co-creation workshops that brought together diverse stakeholders from Kenya's drone industry. Held at USIU-Africa, the workshops provided a platform to co-create a path that can set it up for greater success. 

We dedicated the first two days to building a shared understanding of drone use in Kenya. We created the first-ever comprehensive overview of not just how drones are being utilized today but how they might be utilized in the near future. We also identified the challenges that complicate current and hinder potential future use cases. The third day saw us discuss regulatory hurdles, visualize an ideal future state for the industry, and generate actionable recommendations for achieving it. The culmination of this effort provided regulators and the broader ecosystem with crucial baseline data, forming a foundation for future advancements in Kenya's drone industry.

Here, we share reflections on the power of co-creation and the insights gained over three days of fruitful engagement with local drone experts in Nairobi.

Diversity is among our greatest strengths.

This is true within WeRobotics and the Flying Labs Network and within local drone and data ecosystems. The co-creation workshops highlighted the immense value of diverse voices brought together under one clarion call. Various stakeholders, from university students and STEM educators to seasoned commercial and non-profit drone pilots, dove into the breadth of drone applications in the country, highlighting different use cases, experiences, challenges, and insights. 

This offered a solid base from which to assess the situation on the ground and begin to imagine an ideal future that everyone present could buy into. By aligning as a unified voice rather than presenting separate, sometimes conflicting perspectives, local actors make it easier for regulators to integrate their insights into effective policies. With diversity of perspective, the whole truly becomes greater than the sum of its parts. 

Progress is made through relationship and collaboration.

The workshops were proof of this, pulling together unique expertise and resources from Kenya Flying Labs, WeRobotics, and Deloitte D2international to make congregation, dialogue, co-creation, and presentation possible in such a short period of time. 

Moreover, the data collected was only possible through the invaluable participation of the stakeholders who worked together, channeling their expertise to contribute use cases, interrogate the diverse challenges they faced, and formulate effective solutions. The co-creation workshops were a wellspring of information and insight, and as we engaged with the participants, it was clear that the answers to the challenges are with us already, if we only make the time and the space to talk with and listen to one another. 

And of course, for the proposed recommendations to work it was evident that they would rely on collaboration between different stakeholders, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, and different government agencies. The power of relationships as the launching pad for effective partnerships and collective problem solving came to the forefront. The workshop participants saw first-hand that the greatest resource they have is each other.

Local contexts are the starting point.

The Flying Labs Drone Regulations Engagement Framework was designed in response to the realization that each country has not just distinct airspace usage but distinct applications, needs, and challenges regarding drone operations as well; therefore, drone regulations need to be fully adapted to each local context. The workshops highlighted even further the importance of tailoring drone regulations to the specific contexts in which they will be applied, as the participants shared invaluable data that gave a vivid picture of what is working and what isn’t in the regulatory landscape. 

Without this kind of data and insights from the actors within the local drone ecosystem who apply the regulations daily, regulations are often copied from other contexts and applied locally – an approach that is inefficient at best and dangerous at worst. With co-creation workshops like these, the data gathered can then be used to customize regulations as actually needed on the ground, leading to greater compliance and safety, reduced wastage of resources, and higher effectiveness from local experts as they undertake their work.

When we raise awareness we lower barriers.

The regulatory challenges discussed during the workshops revealed that there is still a significant need to raise awareness about emerging technologies and their diverse applications across different sectors. This is why the continued work of Flying Labs in STEM/Youth education makes a difference. Many of the challenges faced in the industry today have deep roots and will require multiple interventions to change mindsets, including programs that increase the visibility of drones and their impact, situating them more firmly in the collective cultural experience. 

Increased public awareness of the utility of drones will lead to higher prioritization by legislators and policymakers, faster adaptation of regulations, and ultimately make drones and other emerging technologies more accessible to local communities that can then utilize them to solve their own challenges. Additionally, increased awareness of drone regulations encourages compliance, reducing the risk of unsafe drone operations, which in turn promotes broader adoption of drone technology. Below is a video by Kenya Flying Labs on drone safety and regulations.

Continuous learning is critical.

With the rapid evolution of technology, every stakeholder, including CAAs, has a responsibility to learn continuously. As emerging technologies and their capabilities become better and better, the local experts who use them as well as the policymakers who regulate them must keep up – to maintain relevance, but more importantly, to ensure safety, which is the ultimate purpose of regulations. 

The workshop series itself was a prime example of this, showing the magic that can be created when we are open to learning from one another because while we can’t each know everything, together, we are a formidable repository of knowledge. 

With a mindset of continuous learning, regulators can refine regulations over time, adapting and iterating them as the local market and ecosystem evolve. This also mirrors our approach with the Framework – applying it in different regions, learning from each experience, and improving it with each new implementation.

Creation vs Co-creation: language matters.

WeRobotics is intentional about not just creation but co-creation. The language matters. Co-creation means dialogue and relationship-building rather than solo efforts. It acknowledges that no one person knows the best way forward and that the answers lie in our collective wisdom. Co-creation requires the openness to listen, the thoughtfulness to question, the clarity to synthesize collective knowledge into actionable directions, and the heart to bring diverse voices together for a common cause.

The co-creation workshops in Kenya were an invigorating experience, and we are deeply thankful to the partners and participants who made it possible. The workshops mark just the beginning of this project, setting the stage for the next phase, where the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority will be closely involved. We anticipate even more intensive engagement with stakeholders in the Kenyan drone ecosystem and will be sharing further updates in a couple of months.

As we look forward to seeing other Flying Labs across the Network use the Drone Regulations Engagement Framework to contribute to regulatory advancements in their countries, we celebrate the values of sharing and collaboration that inform our work and that of the Flying Labs Network in utilizing local expertise and emerging technologies for data-driven decision making that creates lasting impact.