Digital technologies in the COVID-19 responses in sub-Saharan Africa: policies, problems and promises

The gains made five years after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be lost if the threats presented by the COVID-19 pandemic are not countered in a timely manner. The threat is worse in sub Saharan Africa where poverty and poor health and limited access to services present challenges to even the most robust of health systems on the continent. In light of the requisite public-private collaboration and multi-sectoral approach, digital technologies offer opportunities to support the COVID-19 responses. This commentary reviews the policy environment and the challenges presented by digital illiteracy, poor infrastructure, the high cost of installing ICT infrastructure, the volatile political environment and limited electricity supply as well as the opportunities that digital technologies provide to ensure that people and communities are still able to access goods and services. It highlights how digital technologies are being used by the governments, parliaments, judiciaries, schools, health service providers, transport authorities and marketers to reach their targeted audiences. The commentary concludes with recommendations on possible interventions that emphasize the need to address infrastructural limitations, promote public private partnerships and tackle the digital divide in all its dimensions, including from a gender and rural/urban perspective.