What tech companies are doing the most in the middle of the pandemic?
In the face of the pandemic, many companies have closed up shop, but that is not all some companies have done. Several tech companies in Nigeria have stepped up to flatten the curve rather than just wait around for the end to come.
It is such a heartwarming display of how businesses can use their assets (both funds and skills) to contribute to the wellbeing of their communities and facilitate greater good. This is great because, at this point, every government needs all the help that it can get; and Nigerian tech companies are not holding back their help.
Jumia, the online trade company, has offered its vast logistics network for the distribution of test kits, treatment equipment, and more to communities in Nigeria. They have also donated face masks to help the government combat the pandemic.
Lifebank is a health startup that helps to find and deliver blood from people who have them to patients who need them. however, with the rise of the coronavirus, they have channeled their assets to the more crucial service of finding the medical equipment that is needed in the treatment of the coronavirus.
The company has also created a register to track hospitals in the country with functional ventilators and respirators. On April 1, the company also launched a mobile testing center in Lagos State, increasing the testing rate in Nigeria and cutting down infection risks.
Xerde Limited is a tech company that had just launched its product, Tudo, before the threat of COVID-19 necessitated the first lockdown in Nigeria.
The app, which was created to help people make financial contributions, set financial goals, and invite friends to help them reach their goals, has been used by the company to launch a virtual fundraising campaign for less privileged Nigerians, health workers, research and a couple of other categories. The company initiated a social media task force that collates and spreads accurate information about symptoms, safety measures, and donation channels. Xerde has also launched a website that enables people to remotely assess their risk level, donate, and get information.
Wellvis, a health company that gives health answers to enquirers, has created a free triage tool that helps people everywhere carry out targeted self-assessment o check their coronavirus risk category based on their travel history and symptoms.
People who use the tool are given medical advice based on their answers, whether to notify the NCDC or to get treatment for other sicknesses. People who are suspected to be infected are directed to the nearest isolation centers. The tool has helped to reduce the panicked calls received by the NCDC through their hotlines and has also helped to reduce the number of test kits used to test individuals who only have a cold but have submitted themselves for tests.
Many more tech companies are creating tools and donating assets to help in the fight against COVID-19, without requesting funding from the federal government. Some of these tools may have been out of reach for Nigeria and Nigerians.
However, with tech companies, both small and large, are taking initiative and helping the society in this time, it appears as though all the help that Nigeria needs to fight the virus may very well be in Nigeria already.