Authors: APET Secretariat

This post is the 2nd in a blog series to be published in 2020 by the Secretariat on behalf of the AU High Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET) and the Calestous Juma Executive Dialogues (CJED)

As the COVID-19 pandemic’s negative impact persists in numerous communities globally, several mobile digital technology applications are being utilized and/or developed by innovators to limit and monitor the spread of the virus. Notably, African innovators are a part of this global cadre of innovators developing mobile digital technology applications towards combating the COVID-19 spread across the continent. Consequently, African countries are rapidly harnessing these new digital technologies aimed at facilitating strategic planning, surveillance, testing, contact tracing, quarantine monitoring, and clinical management. This is enabling the continent to control and manage the spread of the pandemic.

Currently, several African governments are using digital mobile platforms to broadcast COVID-19 related information and services available to their citizens. This platform is also being used to debunk misinformation about the disease by fake information through the media. For example, in South Africa, the National Department of Health is utilising the WhatsApp platform to provide information to South Africans on how to identify COVID-19 related symptoms and effectively respond to such symptoms. These platforms also provide citizens with essential testing information such as contact information and nearby testing places available at their disposal. Most importantly, these digital platforms afford citizens with reliable and trustworthy information that dispels false claims about non-substantiated and scientifically proven “cures” such as eating garlic and beetroot or taking hot water baths as means to combat the COVID-19 symptoms. Additionally, these digital platforms are used to sensitise citizens against scammers looking to take advantage of, and benefit from peoples’ fears.

In countries such as Nigeria, Malawi, Burkina Faso, and Zimbabwe, their health authorities have partnered with the Facebook social media platform to notify and broadcast information related to COVID-19 symptoms and on how to prevent infection. These countries are also using the Twitter social media platform to elevate and broadcast reliable medical information from health authoritative sources to their citizens. Additionally, other African countries have leveraged digital mobile money transfers to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, Kenyan digital mobile money companies have reduced their charging fees in order to promote the use of such services to transfer money across the country during the pandemic. This strategic approach reduced interaction and contact among the Kenyan citizens. In addition, African governments are embracing the digital agricultural initiatives meant to alleviate the COVID-19 pandemic impact on food security and agro-businesses across their countries. For example, farmers in structured markets have tracking-enabled applications following the sale of their agricultural produce without physically being at the market. Furthermore, contact tracing digital mobile applications are also being developed in an effort to restrict the spread of the virus. A good example of such a digital mobile technology application is a South African developed digital mobile applications known as the COVID Alert SA application. This application is being used to trace COVID-19 pandemic related cases in South Africa.

Notably, it is not all African countries that are harnessing these digital mobile technologies in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. This is because African countries across the continent vary in capacity, digital technology infrastructure, and skilled human capital required for effectively utilising, implementing, and deploying these digital mobile technologies. However, for these African countries to effectively implement digital technology in their various countries, policy and decision-makers must ensure that interventions are appropriately tailored to target specific regions in these countries. These strategic interventions include increasing broadband access and public and private sector investments towards robust and reliable technology infrastructure.

At the regional level, strategically subsidising and investing towards mobile cellular phone infrastructure and devices such as free Wi-Fi hotspots and related facilities, as well as training programmes could provide short-term to-mid-term solutions towards these observed disparities across the continent. Furthermore, in African regions that do not have reliable infrastructure as well as sufficient funds to support cellular and data coverage, considerations must be made towards automated applications and devices that do not require continuous network access. Finally, it must be noted that the African continent will increasingly rely on mobile digital technologies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the foreseeable future. Digital platforms will therefore, help African countries build more resilient strategic solutions against the pandemic. Digital mobile applications are the way to go!

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