As part of measures to curtail the spread of the coronavirus, the United States has further imposed social distancing measures to be in place until 30th April 2020, according to the Washington post. In the United Kingdom, it is being reported that lock down could be in place until June 2020. Currently, three cities in Nigeria (Lagos, Ogun and Abuja) are in lock down. South Africa is currently on lock down for 21 days.

The world owes a huge gratitude to health care workers, at the front line of this pandemic. From New York, Milan, London, to Madrid, health care workers have constantly complained about the lack of preparedness and shortage of health care equipment e.g. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect themselves, ventilators for patients etc. In fact, CNN reported that health care workers account for 50% of confirmed cases in Spain.

There is clearly a shortage of PPEs and ventilators world-wide. This has triggered various responses from various Governments worldwide. In the UK, the British Government has asked Dyson, a British firm, to reverse engineer and produce ventilators for use within the UK and hopefully Europe. In the United States, General Electric (GE) has been called upon to manufacture ventilators and other health care equipment needed to save lives and reduce the spread of the virus. President Trump has further invoked federal laws to compel automakers to manufacture some of the highly demanded equipment. Now, Ford, 3M, GE etc. are racing to build respirators, ventilators, face shields etc. to help health care workers fight the pandemic.

The number of confirmed cases in Africa is steadily increasing. The number of confirmed cases in Nigeria has risen to 111, as of 30th March 2020. In response to the pandemic in Nigeria, donations and donations are being pledged and being mobilised to help curtail the spread. We must highly commend the efforts of the private sector to rally around and come up with the financial resources which will prove very beneficial in these distressing times. These efforts are being led by none other than the richest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote, in close partnership with Access Bank and other well-meaning private sector companies in a coalition dubbed the ‘Nigeria Private Sector Coalition against COVID -19’.

However, will the financial resource suffice? I am of the opinion that we may need more than financial resources but the financial resources will no doubt help curtail the spread. As the number of cases increases, the need for PPEs and other medical equipment will increase. And as you probably figured out, dyson will probably not sell ventilators to Nigeria/ Africa now, when there is a great need for such in its home country? Neither will GE? Who then will manufacture PPE & Ventilators for use in Nigeria/Africa?

Would it be possible for local engineering companies like Innoson Motors to partner with Dangote or General Electric (GE) Nigeria to look into reverse engineering of some of these products for use in Nigeria/Africa? Are there indigenous engineering South African companies who could help in the production of some of these products? Can we get engineers from Aba etc. to reverse engineer some of these products for use? Of course, these products should be tested to ensure they are safe before use.

The Government could equally make a call for innovation, calling all innovators or engineers who could locally produce face masks, alcohol sanitizers, PPEs, ventilators etc. to send in submissions of such ideas. Pictures and videos of such products could be sent for submission, now that we are all online.

Nigeria/Africa, now is the time to look for solutions to our problems. No one will come to our rescue soon, as most countries are battling to contain the spread within their shores. It is not the time to panic but to apply ourselves creatively and innovatively. After all, necessity is the mother of invention.

Intellectuals in Nigeria/Africa, now is the time to get creative and innovative. Even though schools are shut, let’s think of innovative and creative ways to help curtail the spread of the virus.

Let’s equally share stories and news of those who may be able to assist with their creativity rather than sharing depressing news.

Let’s stay safe.

When this is all over, we must learn important lessons and look at ways of developing indigenous technical and engineering capabilities.

As social distancing becomes the order of the day as part of efforts to minimize the spread of coronavirus pandemic, people are seeking ways to keep their businesses, friendship and family life intact. Online tools have offered platforms of interactions that guarantee wide distances between people and yet fulfilling meetings, bonding and association.

Among all the apps offering teleconference related services, Zoom has become a popular choice. As more people seek virtual alternatives to their deprived freedom to meet and interact, Zoom has become a darling option because it gives users better choices than other apps offering virtual conferencing services.

Though Apple’s Facetime is popular, Zoom is currently ranking above it in the iOS store, according to the data from analytic company App Annie. It has been gaining more users at the wake of the outbreak of coronavirus and that has shot its market value up. The stock sells for 58 times revenue, compared to a price-to-sales ratio of 8 for Microsoft, and has been gaining since February while other stocks are plummeting.

In 2020, Zoom Video Communication has soared over 85%, and has become a top choice for investors who are looking for a safe haven from the coronavirus storm. In February, the teleconference company’s stock upped 45% to maintain stable growth while other stocks plunged. On Thursday last week, the ZM stock went up another 7% to close regular trading at $125.00 a share.

The company’s Q4 revenue jumped 78% with 2019 sales up 88% to $622.7 million. According to data published by Nasdaq, Zoom’s adjusted quarterly earnings of $0.15 a share trampled the $0.08 estimated by the market, and has now blown away Nasdaq projection by an average of 340% in the trailing four quarters.

Also, its full fiscal year operating cash flow skyrocketed close to 200% to $151.9 million, as its client base expands. Zoom ended the year 2019, with about 82,000 clients and with more than 10 employees, a 61% increase from 2018. The company said 641 customers contributed more than $100,000 in trailing 12 months revenue which marked an 86% surge.

The unprecedented growth has come as a result of many using Zoom for weddings, bar mitzvahs and mediation sessions. As schools closed, teachers and students turned to Zoom for classes and so did many others who needed to stay in business. Many others use it to make parties and virtually stay in touch with family and friends.

But Zoom won people’s hearts for some peculiar reasons that many other players in the teleconference business can’t give.

“The usability and the reliability of Zoom is what has led to this incredible adoption, combined with honesty, the generosity of Eric and his willingness to open it up especially to schools,” Zoom CFO Kelly Steckelberg told CNBC.

Zoom founder and CEO Eric Yuan received a lot of applause for altering the original design that gives free service only to 100 participants for 40 minutes. Schools and organizations have cashed in on the adjustment that has allowed thousands of people to hook into conferences running far beyond 40 minutes free of charge. The gesture was seen as part of efforts by the company to help people in the face of COVID-19, pandemic, and has spurred thousands of users to download the app. Over 90% downloads between February and March.

Moreover, Zoom is available for Android and laptops, unlike its rival, Facetime that is exclusive to iOS and available only to iPhone users. Zoom has other features that include the ability to upload pictures or videos to create a virtual background. That feature has been notably fun and enticing that other companies like Microsoft said they are going to copy it in its Teams service.

However, as Zoom keeps soaring even in the face of fierce competition with popular names like GoToMeeting and Skype as well as Google Hangouts and Microsoft Teams, many are still worried that its pace may be forced to slow down at the end of the coronavirus pandemic.

But Nasdaq estimated that Zoom’s 2021 full-year fiscal revenue will hit between $905 million to $915.o million, which overrides the pre-earning estimate of $854.6 million. The high-end would represent 47% growth from 2020.

Zoom’s video is also expected to crush the current estimate of $0.27 per share to hit between $0.42 and $0.45 per share, and would mark a 29% jump from 2020, on the high side.

Stifel analysts told clients: “The global coronavirus epidemic will undoubtedly drive awareness and adoption of the company’s video conferencing platform, and we expect this environment to further enable the company to post industry-leading growth rates.”

Before now, climate advocates and those who see automobile emission as an environmental threat and have tried to cut their movement by holding meetings and conferences online, have been instrumental to Zoom’s market performance, as the company has established an edge over others and manages to keep all those who get on board. It is believed that post-coronavirus will yield the same result; Zoom is likely going to introduce more enticements to help its lovers to stay in love.