How these 3 African startups have joined in the fight against COVID-19

As you sit in quarantine/self-isolation at home. As you try to stay alive, you are probably wondering what to do with your newly found "extra" hours. (Of course they aren't really extra, you are just limited from doing what you do with those hours).

Well, let me tell us tell you what some people across the African continent are doing and how YOU can assist in the fight against this corona virus disease.

Redbird - Ghana.

Redbird is a health-tech startup that focuses on personal health monitoring. The startup recently launched a COVID-19 daily check-in app & symptoms tracker, in an effort to curtail the spread of the disease in the African continent. The app allows users to self-report symptoms allowing the health service to see real-time results of where the patients are based, (by extension, how the disease is spread across the country), as well as enabling direct follow-up with any high-risk patients.

Zindi - South Africa

Zindi is a crowd-solving startup that has been building a database of data scientists across Africa, and also allows NGOs, companies or government institutions to host online competitions that revolve around data related issues. It recently launched a competition that basically tasks the data scientists registered on the platform to accurately predict or model the spread of COVID-19. The solutions will be compared against future data.

Wondering how this helps alleviate, track or curb COVID-19? Well, the results may allow governments, health organisations as well as health workers to contain the spread of the disease in addition to any expected "second wave" or even future pandemics.

The competition is sponsored by the Artificial Intelligence for Development Africa (AI4D-Africa) Network and will close on April 19.

54gene - Nigeria

54gene is an African genomics research services and development startup that seeks to include African genomic data in research as well as aid in improving the development, availability and success of various medical products across Africa and globally.

The startup recently launched a fund that seeks to raise money that will be channeled to support the efforts of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in battling the virus. The amounts raised are expected to be used to buy testing instruments, bio-safety instruments, personal protective equipment for the frontline health workers among other things.

(Honestly, this is a very good initiative that companies in the private sector of various African countries can contribute to, in their own countries, as part of CSR, instead of sitting around complaining of the fragile health care systems available.)

Let us take a moment and think about what we can possibly do, in our own individual capacities or as teams, companies, etcetera.. in the fight against COVID-19, all while staying home, working remotely and leveraging on the internet. Cchub is here to offer its help.

CcHub.

CcHub recently launched an open application on their website, that is targeted at COVID-19 related projects that cover;

• 1. Last mile communication.

• 2. Support for the infected and most-vulnerable.

• 3. Production of essential medical supplies.

• 4. Support for the disrupted food supply chains.

CcHub aims to offer funding and engineering support to the tech projects aimed at curbing the disease, as well as both the economic and social impact.

Established startups that want to create some of the related projects as a "side" to their day-to-day are also encouraged to apply.

We are in this together. We will fight this together. #StayHome #StayAlive.