*4.2.3 Telemedicine shored up in Nigeria during the pandemic*

Telemedicine also became a reality in Nigeria. Companies including Helium Health, which specializes in digitizing medical records, debuted their online consultation platform to meet patient demand resulting from the pandemic in late 2020. If the customer has access to the internet, a mobile device, and a link to a meeting, they become clicks away from medical services. This platform allows the patient and health care professionals to interact, while diagnosing and recommending applicable treatment or drugs.

### *4.2.4 E-learning*

Although e-learning took off in Nigeria in 2006 with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) at the apex tertiary level, many in the form of primary and post-primary education driven by the private sector embraced e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the pandemic becoming intense, the use of e-learning platforms increased in the public sector, including at the subnational levels, while it almost became a norm in the private sector.

### *4.2.5 Social media became a source of information and marketing tools*

Available evidence also indicates that digital platforms, including WhatsApp groups and Facebook motivated the online sales of firms owned by low-income women during the lockdown in Nigeria [7, 51]. Their use includes passing information, mobilizing support, and achieving causes such as encouraging remittances for family support. In the end, the federal government, and multilateral organizations noticeably espoused digital platforms to advance cash and social transfers to vulnerable populations during this crisis.

### **4.3 South Sudan's use of technology during the pandemic**

South Sudan is a fragile, LIC, and its use of technology remains negligible. It is also among the least affected by the pandemic, at least from the public data and partly due to underreporting of cases. The lack of advances in mobile technology did not stop the public and the government from finding ways to circumvent the effects of the pandemic. Two examples bolster this point: limited use of m-Gurush (local mobile money) and national call center through a public hotline 6666.

### *4.3.1 The pandemic and public health in South Sudan*

The Ministry of Health established the South Sudan National Public Health Call Center on May 12, 2020, to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and advise the public on other epidemic-prone diseases. Individuals would call the center, providing both verified and unverified information [14]. The receiving team would send these calls to the Ministry of Health (MoH) to provide proper management.

This initiative proved successful. It allowed officers to address inbound and outbound calls; with most inquiries and issues triaged; referrals made on time; health education and psychological support rendered; communication among officers improved; critical records maintained; MoH/PHEOC/Partners received monthly reports; and they efficiently deployed funds. Notwithstanding, MoH, and officials from the call center identified serious challenges, including poor network, unreliable internet, weaknesses in the call forwarding system or poor call distribution, weak coordination, and delays in responding to the referred alerts. Some mobile phones or toll-free lines also became spoiled and proved inefficient in receiving incoming calls. Lack of auto security locks for the center rooms; lack of computer's anti-virus services; inadequate number of call agents to manage calls; and delay of incentives payments became challenging as well.

Broadly, the officers, for example, received calls such as those depicted in **Figure 4**.

### *4.3.2 Minimal use of technology to provide services during the pandemic*

Despite the surmountable constraints, South Sudan minimally used the technology during the pandemic. First, individuals resorted to using WhatsApp groups to pass information. Through the MoH, national health officials used radio and national TV to pass critical message to the masses, concerning infections rate, quarantines, and vaccines. WhatsApp groups that became sources of information, for both credible and false alarms, include the Sunrise Forum, Republic, Social Net, Jieng Nation Forum, Pentagon, Red Army Foundation, diverse South Sudanese Community

### **Figure 4.** *Increased calls to National Hotline during the pandemic in South Sudan. Source: MoH, [52].*

### *Exploiting Technology during the Pandemic: Early Lessons from Sub-Saharan Africa DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112122*

Associations, and many more. Second, the National Revenue Authority (NRA) moved toward greater digitalization of tax revenue and other electronic measures to remain effective. Some NGOs and large taxpayers welcome this approach owing to related efficiency gains and convenience. Finally, international partners that provided cash transfers to qualifying vulnerable populations relied on both cash delivery and digital platforms to provide the needed services.

Despite these benefits, South Sudan was clearly constrained in using technology to contain the pandemic and provide basic services. This subsection highlights a few constraints.

First, the lack of reliable power constrained hospitals and impeded essential operations. At times, generators ran out of power during operations, and patients unfortunately lost lives at hospitals, including Juba Teaching Hospital.

Second, unlike in Kenya or Nigeria, kids in South Sudan remained at home and did not attend online classes because families lacked facilities deployed in other countries. This led to kids losing out, affecting the achievement of key Sustainable Development Goals. Examples documented in other countries indicate that those that lack resources to avail of online learning opportunities resulted in huge setbacks, with students losing months or years of schoolwork [53].

Finally, shallow mobile penetration limited access to DFS in South Sudan. A few mobile money operators remain constrained by a host of challenges, including illiteracy, lack of supportive regulatory and supervisory framework, poor power supply, and poverty. Many households could not afford handheld devices or access expensive internet services. Modem costs more and the fee is unaffordable to many households. Those with jobs worked in face-to-face contexts and became exposed due to underreporting in South Sudan. Broadly, South Sudan lacks social safety nets, complicating compliance with pandemic measures. Garang [54] had this to say:

*Without facilities to work from home, and lacking social safety nets, households have been caught between a rock and a hard surface. Some found themselves facing tough decisions: either they stay home and starve or come out and risk infection. Many chose the latter; some suffered a fatal ending from Covid-19, but went uncounted, partly due to the lack of contact tracing and limited testing.*
