Chapters authored
Exploiting Technology during the Pandemic: Early Lessons from Sub-Saharan Africa
The paper adopts mixed methods to examine how countries deployed technology to provide services during the COVID-19 pandemic. It reviews the literature, analyzes secondary data to discern patterns, and uses deductive reasoning to inform findings and draw policy implications. The paper finds that the pandemic exposed weaknesses in firm services, government operations, and revenues with revealed financing gaps; it motivated innovations which fostered a shift to digital platforms; and the internet-enabled social connections and became a lifeline for many businesses, households, and governments, thereby enhancing services, and reducing vulnerabilities to corruption. The technology, therefore, galvanized material improvements during the pandemic but also disseminated fake news, which undermined confidence in vaccinations, leading to vaccine hesitancy. Finally, the chapter documents the use of technology during the pandemic citing the case of Kenya, Nigeria, and South Sudan in SSA, while highlighting benefits and challenges, and drawing policy implications, including for critical investments.
Part of the book: New Topics in Emerging Markets