Covid taught us lessons - Theofelus
CAPE TOWN – Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology Emma Theofelus, says the outbreak of Covid-19 has taught the world many lessons, especially on the importance of connectivity.
Theofelus, on the sidelines of the ongoing AfricaCom and AfricaTech Festival in Cape Town, told Nampa this week that Covid-19hasexposedtheurgency needed to transform societies to respond to connectivity issues such as E-learning, E-working and remote working.
“Products and services go beyond the physical presence but have systems in place to facilitate virtual trade and protect the economy from crumbling.
This was the biggest lesson and it touched all sectors, and that is also the beauty of ICT and technology today because it puts every other industry under the umbrella,” she said. The deputy minister said all sectors, therefore, need to have an element of the everchanging environment around technology, noting that Covid-19 made the world understand the urgency to respond to ensure that no sector is left behind. Theofelus added that the world should not neglect education because this will deprive children of skills to work in an online environment and produce young professionals who do not understand systems in various industries. “Everything is integrated because of technology and that is the urgency that was exposed by Covid-19,” she said.
African countries need to work together in synergy in the area of information and communication technology (ICT) as this will maximise development and improve the lives of citizens.
Theofelus said regionally, many African countries share similar challenges hence the need to work together to enhance collaboration and improve trade through the digital economy. “During our robust ministerial discussions on Monday, this observation came out strongly.
Solutions are quite similar so why not collaborate on them so that we enhance development,” she said. The deputy minister noted that the African population is getting younger and it is predicted that by 2050, the continent will have the youngest population in the world thus the need to invest in ICT. “Many are not only doing the traditional way of working, learning or business, but they are also using the internet. They are using artificial intelligence as they prepare for the fourth industrial revolution as a basis of their every day to day life,” she explained.
“Digital transformation will not wait for anybody. We are ready as we go and we just need to leverage emerging technology because it is constantly changing at a high speed. We have to up our game,” she said. Once again, she expressed the importance of having legal frameworks and investments, especially for the youth who are coming up with better and more efficient ideas on how to get services and how to influence production. She said with new developments, there are bound to be pros and cons with the emergence of digital innovation. “There has to be the protection of persons online and data privacy by giving the consumer the right to decide how their data should be used. This is where the law comes in handy beyond individuals and business,” she said.