Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofelus, says the outbreak of Covid-19 has taught the world many lessons, especially on the importance of connectivity.
Theofelus on the sidelines of the ongoing AfricaCom and AfricaTech Festival in Cape Town told Nampa on Wednesday that Covid-19 has exposed the urgency needed to transform societies to respond to connectivity issues such as E-learning, E-working and remote working.
“Products and services go beyond the physical presence but have systems in place to facilitate virtual trade and protect the economy from crumbling. This was the biggest lesson and it touched all sectors, and that is also the beauty of ICT and technology today because it puts every other industry under the umbrella,” she said.
The deputy minister said all sectors therefore need to have an element of the ever-changing environment around technology, noting that Covid-19 made the world understand the urgency to respond to ensure that no sector is left behind.
Theofelus added that the world should not neglect education because this will deprive children of skills to work in an online environment and produce young professionals who do not understand systems in various industries.
“Everything is integrated because of technology and that is the urgency that was exposed by Covid-19,” she said.
On another note, Theofelus said Namibia is gearing up to be a green hydrogen hub, saying infrastructure in the ICT industry is impacted by the environment and it contributes to climate change.
“As a country, we understand the need for sustainable green energy. We are endowed with natural resources like the sun, wind and water from the ocean. We understand the value we can bring to make sure that we care for the environment without stifling technology or innovation,” she said.
She concluded by saying telecom companies should modernise infrastructure and conserve energy and that’s where Namibia will collaborate with partners who believe the future of technology has to be green.
Source: The Namibian News Agency
