Coronavirus a boon for ICT sector

News
BY KUDZAI KUWAZA THE Covid -19 pandemic, which has resulted in a severe economic downturn, has been a major economic boon for the information communication technology (ICT) sector. The pandemic,which has affected more than 12 million people globally,has crippled economies and slowed production resulting in massive job losses in most sectors of the economy . […]

BY KUDZAI KUWAZA

THE Covid -19 pandemic, which has resulted in a severe economic downturn, has been a major economic boon for the information communication technology (ICT) sector.

The pandemic,which has affected more than 12 million people globally,has crippled economies and slowed production resulting in massive job losses in most sectors of the economy .

Most countries have imposed lockdowns to contain the spread of the scourge including Zimbabwe.

Government imposed a national lockdown on March 30, which is still in force, but with restrictions eased.

This has resulted in businesses depending heavily on data to carry their day to day business as most workers operate from home.

Presenting virtually at the Computer Society of Zimbabwe(CSZ) ICT summit in Nyanga last week, a member of the South Africa Commission for the Fourth Industrial Revolution which advises President Cyril Ramaphosa, Nomsa Kana said the Covid -19 pandemic has breathed life into the ICT sector.

“The biggest winners of the last eight months is the telecoms industry in South Africa.

“It had the most amazing revenues,” Kana, who is a nuclear scientist, revealed.

She said although the Covid-19 pandemic had wreaked havoc, it has been a “a sort of blessing in disguise” for the ICT sector.

Kana said sectors of the economy have been forced to digitise as a result of the pandemic which has resulted in most people having to work from home.

She said data has become “the new oil” of national economies.

Kana said the commission haDmade recommendations to the South African government which include investing in human capital and establishing an artificial intelligence institute.

Zmbabwe’s ICT ministry principal director Beaula Chirume told delegates at the summit that the country’s ICT sector had reaped benefits from the Covid-19 pandemic.

” ICT here in Zimbabwe has also experienced a windfall where the need for data has been on an exponential increase,” Chirume said.

CSZ Harare chapter chairman William Nyakudya said the ICT sector should be prepared for the increase in demand for data as a second wave of Covid-19 could possibly result in a second total national lockdown.

Nyakudya said the pandemic and resultant lockdowns has availed opportunities for the ICT sector.

The summit was held under the theme, “Beyond 4IR: Transitioning from the Pandemic”.