Tech for Humanity: Preparing for the Future

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of this year has been one of the biggest challenges organisations across the world have had to face. They have begun to shift into action, but as critical as it has been to react appropriately, it has also been important to proactively prepare for the next phase. 

One of the organizations that is preparing the future after covid-19, through the use of technology, is Huawei.

“ICT has been critical to fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and transforming society over the long term. But the key to progress is laying the foundation for constant evolution.” Chen Lei, President of Huawei Southern Africa Region.

“At Huawei, we are aware of the massive effect of the pandemic, as well as how seriously communities would be affected. However, we are also conscious that as well as protecting lives, we need to help lay the foundation for the next stage of society’s technological advancement – the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

Chen Lei says that he has been inspired by a recent YouTube video of young South African dancer Hlumelo, who has been under lockdown in his home township of Gugulethu. A member of the Zama Dance School, Hlumelo has not let the lockdown hold him back, and has continued practising his steps for the moment when he and his friends can perform together again.

Similarly, during the Chinese lockdown, members of the Shanghai ballet continued to practise – wearing facemasks – for their upcoming performance of Swan Lake. They took precautions, but remained focused on the next phase of their development.

Technology has played a great role in keeping us all connected during lockdown, quarantine and social isolation. Technology will also be fundamental to economic recovery for Africa. 

After spending several weeks with closed schools and locked-down businesses, the global conversation is turning to how to reopen the economy. It’s becoming increasingly clear that we need to rethink our approach and reimagine a future that is not the same rushed, busy, concentrated work and social environments we had before.

When we re-open, communities and workplaces will have to continue practicing social distancing. We will continue to rely on high-speed connectivity to keep a sense of community going. In this case, technology will not only support the fight against the coronavirus, but also the evolution of human society itself. 

Huawei has supported their business partners on the African continent through their core competencies in the ICT sector. Their video conferencing systems have enabled information sharing domestically and experience exchange internationally between epidemic prevention experts in China and Africa, and have helped medical institutions communicate more efficiently. 

They have also implemented an AI-based diagnosis solution in several medical institutions. CT scan reviews can now be completed in two minutes, 80% faster, in a race with time, critical for saving lives.

When the dust settles, and we begin to arrive at the much-heralded “new normal”, we will have seen the immense potential for technology to build social cohesion.

A new business model is taking shape across sectors, one characterised by remote work, distance education, remote healthcare, online shopping and mobile money. These business models span transportation, security, finance, medicine, education and entertainment.

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 prioritise 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. This is likely to accelerate the establishment of a national data centres, optical fibre networks and communication base stations. 

This kind of “big network” deployment also 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. 

Chen Lei added, “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.  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.”