The COVID-19 pandemic may be causing more positive disruption in the technology space while creating an acceleration of remote working, and a rapid focus on evaluating and de-risking end-to-end value chain, Tingo International Holdings Inc said.
Indeed, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian UK and US-based firm, Dozy Mmobuosi, noted that the development could have caused a decade worth of progress in the sector though it affected raw materials supply and caused an inflationary risk on products.
On one hand, Mmobuosi said the general paralysis and uncertainty occasioned by the pandemic has seen a slowdown in sales, and a more difficult environment to hire new staff or close funding rounds but the situation echoes Nigeria’s dependency on the digital world.
To him, the pandemic highlighted the critical need for the best medical cover, adding that with the U.S. struggling to cope with the number of cases and the dramatic rise in the cost of medical insurance policies, the U.S. branch of the company has seen an enormous surge in the demand for Tingo Health Care policies.
“These policies give Nigerians both at home and in Diaspora the peace of mind that should our country experience a spike in cases, their loved ones are covered and will be taken care of by the best doctors in the country,” Mmobuosi said.
Speaking on agriculture tech, he noted that through Nwassa, the company’s digital agro platform, there was initially lower demand for agriculture inputs at the beginning of the pandemic, stressing that the government’s hard work has pushed demand for inputs and agro output to pre-pandemic levels.
“We have seen a decade’s worth of progression in six months and I have taken to saying that 2030 happened a decade early. We are making great strides in testing and vaccination of deadly diseases and learning more about what customers really want, need, and expect from digital service providers.
“We have also seen a spike in the rate of adoption of technology and implementation of digital strategies. These will only serve to make our lives better and our companies more efficient and greener. I am very excited for what is to come in all areas of technology and will continue to be a driving force behind technological innovation and adoption in Nigeria,” Mmobuosi stated.
He said the prevailing situation creates an opportunity for not only Nigeria but the whole of Africa, to show the deep pool of talent across the continent.
“We help the continent compete on the global stage, noting that Africa has some of the sharpest minds, greatest innovators, thinkers, and doers in the world. We need to encourage the next generation of leaders to look at the challenges being faced in Africa and across the globe and to develop innovative strategies and products to deal with them.”
Although the COVID-19 epidemic has accelerated the fierce conflicts in our country, it is also an opportunity for us to make great progress in testing and vaccinating deadly diseases.