United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) aims to reach up to 800 million mobile subscribers in Africa to benefit them from the first-of-its-kind digital health platform, reports said on Thursday.“With this platform, we have the possibility of reaching between 600 million and 800 million mobile subscribers in Africa,” said Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), during the virtual launch of the Africa Communication and Information Platform for Health and Economic Action (ACIP) on 23 June 2020.
ACIP is a mobile-based tool for two-way information and communication between citizens and governments. It furnishes national and regional COVID task forces with user-generated survey data and actionable health and economic insights that will enable authorities to better analyze pandemic-related problems and implement appropriate responses.
Dr. John Nkengasong, Director of Africa CDC said the platform offers a “unique opportunity to change the way we conduct disease surveillance, enhance our ability to acquire good and timely data, and make all Africans count.”
The launch was presided over by President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo who lauded the initiative and noted that it “responds to member states’ requests for assistance in collecting and processing essential data to respond effectively to COVID-19”
President Alpha Condé of Guinea pledged to “make sure that all 55 AU member states are part of this initiative (ACIP).” He said the uncertainties around COVID-19 make a strong case for Africa to speedily embrace the fourth industrial revolution, ensuring better internet access and affordability.
Ms. Songwe deplored the state and high cost of Internet access in Africa stating, “In an era of pandemic and economic crisis, it’s even more difficult for people to spend the little resources they have to pay for access.”
The good news, however, is that while the ECA is working with key stakeholders to solve the problem of internet access, reliability, and cost, the ACIP can already reach over 80% of Africa’s mobile users without adding the burden of cost on them.
“We, as operators, can waive the charges for USSD because chances are that many people battling the pandemic in some rural areas may not have airtime,” said Robert Shuter, CEO of MTN. He said the uniqueness of the ACIP initiative got MTN and its “competitors to agree that this was an area for collaboration and cooperation.”
Mr. Shuter said the technology can be used on any handset and on any device and that the platform “presents a very simple menu to users and enables us to collect very important information that policymakers can use to identify where the issues and hotspots are.”
The launch was also attended by African ministers in charge of ICT who urged stakeholders to ensure that there were synergies between the ACIP and efforts being made in the area of digital technology to combat COVID-19 at national levels.
