This archive report was first published on 13 May 2020.
Preparing Tech for Life After Covid-19 Pandemic ¶
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
As the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic, it's essential to prepare for the next phase of society's technological advancement – the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Huawei's President for Southern Africa Region, Chen Lei, shares his insights on how technology can help Africa recover and thrive in the post-pandemic era.
Chen Lei draws inspiration from a young South African dancer, Hlumelo, who continued to practice his steps during the lockdown in his home township of Gugulethu. Similarly, members of the Shanghai ballet practiced wearing facemasks for their upcoming performance of Swan Lake. These examples remind us that preparation is key to being effective, and that hardship can shape ultimate success.
ICT has played a crucial role in keeping people connected during lockdown, quarantine, and social isolation. However, technology is also fundamental to economic recovery for Africa. As Chen Lei notes, 'Chance favours the prepared mind.'
During the pandemic, Huawei supported its business partners on the African continent through its core competences in the ICT sector. The company provided video conferencing systems that enabled information sharing domestically and experience exchange internationally between epidemic prevention experts in China and Africa. Huawei's remote videoconferencing systems also helped medical institutions communicate more efficiently, and the company implemented an AI-based diagnosis solution in several medical institutions.
When the dust settles, and we begin to arrive at the 'new normal,' we will have seen the immense potential for ICT to build social cohesion. A new business model is taking shape across sectors, characterized by remote work, distance education, remote healthcare, online shopping, and mobile money. This new paradigm is driven by vastly greater data consumption, facilitated by the mass connectivity of 4G/5G technology.
Governments are coming to understand the need to prioritize ICT as a basic necessity. As a recent white paper noted, the Covid-19 pandemic is seeing 5G transform healthcare response mechanisms to become digital, accurate, and smart. The epidemic has brought home to policymakers the importance of ICT in national development, which is likely to accelerate the establishment of a national data centers, optical fiber networks, and communication base stations.
This kind of 'big network' deployment presents a historic opportunity for Africa to use ICT to catch up with and overtake other nations in terms of human development and quality of life for all its citizens. We are seeing the first signs of digital transformation not just in healthcare systems but across entire economies and society itself.
ICT platforms are likely to provide the foundation of Africa's future economy. The key is to continue honing and perfecting them, expanding their use even now, so that once the lockdown ends, we can recover more quickly.
As Chen Lei notes, 'Good honing does indeed give a sharp edge to a sword.' Like Hlumelo and the dancers of the Shanghai ballet, we should spend this time honing our abilities. When the new dawn arrives – as it surely will – let it find us well prepared to seize the day!
Chen Lei is President of Huawei Southern Africa Region.
