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number of African lives, Brand

South Africa reported that Af-

rica shoulders one quarter of

the global disease burden. Yet,

it is home to just 2 percent of

the world’s doctors.

This issue was highlighted

at the recent World Economic

Forum Africa Summit, where

it became evident that the pri-

vate sector will play a vital role

in improving healthcare on

the continent.

Changing Lives

One example of mobile-

focused public-private-sector

initiatives that work can be

seen in Samsung’s partnership

with UNESCO in Tanzania.

The Korean giant was able

to provide innovative educa-

tion and healthcare solutions

to the Maasai community in

Ololosokwan, Ngorongoro via

a multi-donor program com-

prised of a Samsung Solar-

Powered Internet School,

a Samsung Solar-Powered

Health Centre, a Solar-Pow-

ered Tele-Medicine Center and

a Solar-Powered generator.

While the Internet School

contains an interactive white-

board, Samsung Galaxy Note

PCs and a printer, the Health

Centre provides a variety of

eye, ear, blood, dental and pre-

and post-natal screening and

treatments. The Tele-Medicine

Centre, on the other hand, pro-

vides prescription and expert

healthcare assistance through

the use of tele-conferencing via

Samsung tablets.

Samsung also launched

West Africa’s first digital vil-

lage in Volo in the Volta

region of Ghana, where it is

partnering with government,

local health services and

international stakeholders,

including UNESCO. Similar to

the initiative in Tanzania, the

Village is comprised of a So-

lar-Powered Internet School,

Solar-Powered Tele-Medical

Centre, Solar-Powered Health

Centre and Solar-Powered

Generator. Not only is the

Village instrumental to the

improvement of healthcare

and education in the region,

but it also helps local traders

to develop their businesses

through the aid of an alterna-

tive, low-cost energy source.

Yet another Digital Village

in the community of Matshiding

in Mpumlanga has a goal of

making healthcare accessible

to more people. Because the

Village drastically reduces the

distance that patients have to

travel to access medical care,

almost 700 patients visit the

Village each month to access

basic healthcare services.

According to McKinsey

Global Institute, better con-

nectivity will have the greatest

impact in six sectors: financial

services, education, health,

retail, agriculture and govern-

ment. Technology-related pro-

ductivity gains in these sectors

could reach $148 billion to

$318 billion by 2025, and large

populations stand to benefit

as a result.

“Despite a slow start, Af-

rica’s digital development is

now accelerating,” McKinsey

analysts said in a

Digital

Africa report

. “As the continent

grows more connected, it is

already producing innovative

web-based applications and

dynamic new business mod-

els. For now, the internet in

Africa remains a wide-open

space where companies can

capture large opportunities if

they move rapidly and deci-

sively. Most exciting of all are

the possibilities for using the

internet to revamp the delivery

of education, health and other

public services – transforming

lives in the process.”

providers and resellers can get involved. For

instance, children across Africa’s rural com-

munities are still being left behind – and with

more than 70 percent of the continent’s popu-

lation living in rural areas, this is a significant

problem.

The African Lookout Report

shows

that at least half the population resides more

than 25 kilometers from the nearest fiber con-

nection, making last-mile connectivity a key

stumbling block.

Equally troubling and of no less importance

is a lagging behind in the healthcare sector. With

serious diseases like Ebola, malaria, cholera,

meningitis and HIV/AIDS still threatening a great

International Agents

July - August, 2017

Channel

Vision