From chatbots to online markets, Africans craft weapons against coronavirus

ACCESSIBLE SOLUTIONS

While governments and health experts see mobile tech as a fast and efficient way to help a large number of people stay healthy during the outbreak, not everyone is able to go online whenever they need information about the virus.

For example, paying for data to access health sites and mobile tools is an expense many Africans can't afford.

"WhatsApp is not too expensive, but some months it is still an additional cost I can't prioritise," said Manxoba, the South African domestic worker.

And then there is the challenge of getting information out to everyone in a population whose members practice a variety of cultures and speak a vast array of languages and dialects.

"We need every medium to be made accessible in all languages during this pandemic," said Mmaki Jantjies, an information systems expert at the University of the Western Cape.

"All of these platforms are complementary approaches, but we can't lose sight of people in rural areas, who may only have access to radio, for example," she explained.

As the virus spreads across the continent, said Jantjies, ideas on how best to tackle it will spread, too.

For Adeosun, the best ideas for Africa will come from the continent's own companies, organisations and designers.

"The approaches to our own solutions cannot be gotten from individuals who do not understand our context," he said. ($1 = 105.1000 Kenyan shillings)