ESCOM, Malawi’s national electricity utility, manages extensive transmission lines and substations. Traditional inspections involve manual climbing and helicopter surveys, which are slow, costly, and dangerous—power line work is among the most hazardous jobs worldwide, with risks of electrocution and falls. ESCOM lacked trained drone operators to safely and efficiently inspect infrastructure and capture high-quality data for maintenance.
CAGE delivered a tailored 2 phase drone training program for 44 ESCOM staff, combining classroom theory with practical field exercises. The curriculum focused on:
Compliance with Malawi’s drone regulations
Post-training, ESCOM’s drone team can inspect infrastructure up to 30% faster and at a fraction of traditional costs. The trained team can now quickly cover large areas and perform frequent inspections, improving early fault detection and reducing outages.
Safety has improved dramatically, as drones remove the need for staff to climb poles or work near live lines, power line work is notoriously dangerous.
Equipped with advanced sensors, ESCOM can now detect hotspots, corrosion, and vegetation encroachment, creating detailed 3D models for better infrastructure planning and wildfire prevention.
This initiative has accelerated ESCOM’s digital transformation and strengthened its ability to maintain a reliable power supply while enhancing staff safety and environmental sustainability.
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