The COVID-19 Pandemic: An Opportunity to Bridge the Divide

“COVID-19 is one of the most serious health challenges in a generation, but it is also an opportunity to drive forward innovation, ingenuity, and entrepreneurship in life-saving health technologies.”     

~Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa

The COVID-19 pandemic has made painfully clear the disparities that exist between countries, classes, races, and regions around the world. This has especially been the case in regards to the accessibility of technological developments. Broadband access has quickly been integrated into the 21st-century economy and is critical for economic activity, education, telehealth (a service that has become strikingly important since the beginning of the pandemic), and an abundance of activities in our daily lives.

There are few places in the world that better showcase these disparities than Sub-Saharan Africa where 80% of children lack internet access and only 28% of the African population uses the internet. This lack of accessibility, usage, and investment is leaving developing African nations further and further behind rich western nations as large technology corporations ignore smaller, developing markets for major ones like the United States and China. This digital divide exacerbates inequality between rich and poor, spurs social conflicts, and hinders the development of these countries. For this reason, a World Bank/UN Broadband Commission report estimated that, if left unchanged, the cost of the divide in Africa alone will be as much as $100 billion.

The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has spurred an acceleration of technological advancements, particularly within the region. Approximately 12.8% of innovations in response to the virus came out of Africa. In Africa, many technologies were ICT-driven, including the development of contact tracing apps, chatbots, self-diagnostic tools, mobile health information tools, and more. These advancements, whether they be for surveillance, contact tracing, or treatment represent a surprising amount of remarkable innovation. Innovation in response to global crises like the pandemic is not enough to bridge the digital divide in Africa though. Even with the developments made thus far the gap in access to these technologies is strikingly evident in the midst of a global pandemic. However, Africa still lags far behind more developed nations even following the COVID-19 pandemic with the majority of the world’s population without access to internet residing in Africa. For long-term success, Africa will need this innovation to be coupled with technological infrastructures, laws, and policies to accelerate the continent’s shift to a more equitable and sustainable 21st-century economy.

Best,

Michael Finkenbinder

Assistant Director