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Read, Debate: Engage.
| topic: | Innovation |
|---|---|
| located: | Nigeria |
| editor: | Bob Koigi |
In the history of calamities, from conflicts to pandemics, at the height of despair a silver lining always emerges and shapes the face of humanity. It is for example at the height of the second World War that groundbreaking inventions among them digital computer and rocket technology catapulted the world.
And as COVID-19 grinds the world to a halt, necessity has birthed transformative innovations that continue to play a pivotal role in stemming the tide and flattening the infection curve.
Tech goliaths and startups have put their best brains to work with impressive results amid tough environments as the virus transcends boundaries like wildfire. And the flurry of innovations that have come up within the short time the virus has been with us span from those pushing for prevention, to diagnosis and treatment and even those making lives bearable for the populace.
Apple and Google recently announced a Bluetooth enabled platform that will ease contact tracing in a historic collaboration. An Indian startup has come up with a software that automates interpretation of Coronavirus from chest X rays, allowing the medics to easily monitor the rate of viral infection.
In Nigeria, an online tool is helping users self-evaluate their COVID-19 risk category through exposure history and symptoms and giving them remote medical advice, while in Uganda an app is encouraging social distancing among the most vulnerable market vendors by allowing them to easily interact with their everyday buyers without coming into contact with them.
Such home-grown solutions point to the central role technology has assumed in our daily lives and specifically the power it continues to demonstrate in mitigating the impact of the virus and managing livelihoods amid the pandemic. But innovators continue to decry tough working environment as government bureaucracies, prohibitive cost of doing business and unfavourable policies slam the brakes on their pursuit.
At a time when this pandemic has taught us the invaluable contribution of technology to saving lives, it is a wake up call for governments the world over to prioritise digital governance and invest more in innovators who have, for the longest time, remained unsung.
Image by Vesna Harni
