2020-04-01 Forbes Africa

8 | FORBES AFRICA APRIL 2020

EDITOR’SNOTE

FORBES AFRICA

FORBESAFRICA.COM

Views expressedbycommentatorsin thispublicationarenotnecessarilythoseheldbyFORBESAFRICAoritsmembersofstaff.Allfactsprintedin FORBESAFRICAwereconfirmed as being

correct at the time of going to press. Note: Dollar prices in the magazine are approximate figures and based on exchange rates at the time of going to press.

Photo by Motlabana Monnakgotla

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http://www.forbesafrica.com

RENUKAMETHIL,

MANAGING EDITOR

P

RINTWILLNEVERBEABLETOKEEPUPWITH

thenumbers.

Thisseemstobea virusthathasreareditsuglyhead

specificallyforthedigitalage,withdramaticallyincreasing

numbersthatevennewswebsitesarestrugglingtokeepupwith,and

spreadingevenfasterthanyoucanmutterthefulltrilogyoftermsassoci-

atedwithit – Coronavirus,Covid-19,andSARS-CoV-2.

Africahasbeenhittoo,andtheexponentialcurveis notlookinggood.

Atthetimeofgoingtopress,SouthAfrica,forexample,reported 116

confirmedcases.Bythetimethismagazineis out,thatfigurecouldhave

morethanquintupled.

Theall-pervasive,anti-socialvirusthattookusoff-guard,disrupting

livesandlivelihoodstheworldoveratthestartofthisdecade,hasde-

mandedextraordinaryresponsestoa realitythathaslongsincereached

pandemicproportions.Andaseconomiesslideandglobalmarketsface

seismicshocks,scienceis diggingintoitsarsenalforaneffectivecure.

Themenandwomenatthefrontlinesdispensingtheseintensepublic

healthinterventionsaretherealheroesofthesevirulenttimes,asthey

tendtousandthedisabled,thepoor,thehomelessandtheelderlywho

arenodoubtthemostvulnerable.

“Our concern will be if the virus affects the less fortunate living in

crowdedareaswithpooraccesstoeducation,sanitationandhealthcare.

Whatwehavelearnedfromcolleaguesinothercountriesis thatif weasa

nationpulltogetherbypractisingsafetymeasures,socialdistancing,and

goodmedicalcarewithsoundguidancefromourleaders,wecan‘flatten

thecurve’andreducethepotentialhazardousoutcomeseeninother

countries,”offersDrYvetteLazarus,a specialistphysicianandrheuma-

tologistbasedinJohannesburg.

AswebraceforloweringGDPforecasts,UnitedNations’economists

estimatetheviruscouldcosttheglobaleconomyatleast$1trillionthis

year– andperhapsmore.

Desperatetimescallfordesperatemeasures,andtherewillbemas-

sivesocietalshifts,duringandafterweemergeontheothersideofthe

tunnelinthecoronaconundrum.

Surely,therewillbea pre-Covid19andpost-Covid19era,whenthe

words‘self-isolation’and‘socialdistancing’willbecommonparlance,

andwewillnevertakefor-grantedtheairwebreathe.

Ina sense,theravagedplanetseemstohavelostitsimmunityto

protectitself.

Yet,alarmistviewsaside,thereis nobettertimethannowforyouth

andtechnologytospawnnewideasandindustries.Inadditiontothelat-

estthinkinginmedicalresearch,newenterprisewillemerge.

Andsoit is thatthisissueofFORBESAFRICAis devotedtothe

brightestmindsontheplanet’syoungestcontinent.

The 2020 FORBESAFRICA 30 Under 30 listis thesixthoutingof

thisannualcompilationandfocusesontheyoungmenandwomenblaz-

ingthepathandbeingprimedtotackleglobalcrisessuchasthis.

“WhiletheCovid-19pandemichasexposedthefragilityoftheworld’s

economicandfinancialsystemstotherapidonsetofa globalhealth

crisis,it alsopresentsa newsetofopportunitiesfortechnologyandin-

novation,especiallyinAfricawheremobiletechnologyprovidesaccess

topreviouslyhard-to-reach,vulnerablepopulations,”saysNthabiseng

Mosia,FounderofEasySolarinSierraLeoneandalsoa 2019FORBES

AFRICA 30 Under 30 member.

Wearefacinga threatunlikeanyotherinourlifetimeandthereis

a needforsharedresponsibilityasa humanfamilyfightinga common

enemy;thisis a timewhentruecollaborationsmustcomeintoforce,

betweenrulingpartiesandtheopposition,thepublicandprivatesectors,

economistsandepidemiologists,science and humanity, friends and foes.

May the human spirit prevail!

HUMANITY IN

THE TIME

OF CORONA