**5.1 Building public trust counts**

In a survey conducted in Thailand in March 2020 following the declaration of the pandemic, teachers showed a cheerful outlook on using technology to teach online. Nonetheless, they face many online teaching problems [56–60]. In places where

public health authorities were deemed credible by the public, the message and advice on prevention and treatment were well received. Thus, building trust and a positive attitude toward technology are key.

### **5.2 Technology as public goods**

The importance of disseminating knowledge across borders, companies, and the entire society became clear. If online learning technology can play a role here, it is incumbent upon all of us to explore its full potential. As Mburu [18] showed, those that have invested in digital platforms benefited a lot during the pandemic. The public sector and private sectors do matter. Hence, the public has a role in fostering healthy and effective digitalization. Accelerating post-pandemic recovery rests in attracting private investment into mobile money operators, offering different financial products beyond loans to include savings and insurance products, and enhancing employment opportunities, especially for women and youth, with implications on reducing poverty.

### **5.3 Technology cuts both ways**

The authorities must also know that technology remains a two-edged sword. It can advance public goods (see policy tracker) when properly exploited and public bads, if misused, as the examples of fake news, indicate in the foregoing paragraphs, aggravating vaccine hesitancy.

### **5.4 Public policy remains indispensable in serving different demographics**

In a panel discussion during the 2023 IMF/WB Spring Meetings, discussants emphasized that technology is not the issue per se but what the authorities are trying to address. In this context, public policy on the use of a particular technology should revolve around three problems:

a.How to identify the vulnerable households to receive public support

b.How to get the support needed to those identified, verified, and paid

c.How to deploy a particular technology to achieve the identified objectives

The foregone literature review clearly unveils the vital role demography plays in the uptake of mobile technology across the three countries. Owning more than one SIM card increases the chance of using digital platforms; women are less likely to use DFS than men, indicating a need to resolve gender inequalities, and that lack of trust in DFS could account for exclusion. In addition, increased competition among MNOs improves the quality and diversity of DFS services. These developments call for appropriate technology along with efficient regulations and supervision to better serve various segments of society. Therefore, interventions should aim to address infrastructural limitations, promote public–private partnerships, and the digital divide in all its dimensions, including from a gender and rural/urban perspective.

Private and public investments in information and communications technology and infrastructure development should be central; enhancing the capacity of research institutions to participate in research and development activities as well as protecting

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

intellectual property, with positive impact on growth. Creating institutions to manage technological disruption, supporting innovation, and ensuring security remain key. As Signe [61] notes, "Policies to support innovation and protect citizens are only as good as the institutions that enforce them," and in this context, leaders are advised to set up agile institutions empowered to work across ministries.
