Tanzania is on course to become the first African country to manufacture choppers on a commercial scale.
The prototype model, a two-seater chopper is in its final stages of completion at the Mechanical and Engineering Department of the Arusha Technical College (ATC), a school in the northern part of the country.
“We are complementing President Magufuli’s industrialisation policy in pioneering the first locally made helicopters that will be available to ordinary residents at affordable prices,” Engineer Abdi Mjema who is behind the project was quoted by Tanzania's Daily News
The locally made aircraft's were initially intended to be used for surveillance, rescue and agricultural purposes but hope is high that they will also ease transport challenges in the country.
The Tanzania-made helicopters are expected to hit the market in 2018.