Kagame, Estonian president discuss role of technology in fighting Covid-19

President Paul Kagame and his Estonian counterpart Kersti Kaljulaid spoke about the role of technology to respond to Covid-19. The two heads of state confirmed their phone conversation on Twitter on Thursday. The two praised each other for the good conversation and talking and said they spoke about the importance of using digital technologies in the fight against the pandemic. Joining our digital efforts and continuous collaboration across sectors will be key to ending the spread of #COVID19, Kagame said in a tweet. Thank you for the good conversation @KerstiKaljulaid. Joining our digital efforts and continuous collaboration across sectors will be key to ending the spread of #COVID19 and facing the realities that await us all when the pandemic comes to an end. — Paul Kagame (@PaulKagame) April 16, 2020 Kagame said digital tech could also help in facing the realities that await us all when the pandemic comes to an end. Rwanda and Estonia are known to share the belief that technology ought to be at the centre of their socio-economic development. Estonia is particularly a very tech-savvy country with one of the highest adult literacy in the world, according to UNESCO. The Northern European country is famed for its electronic governance, and health and for being the first country in the world to adopt online voting in 2005. The Estonian President said after holding discussion with Kagame that the international community needs to stand United during the pandemic. Looking forward to working together with @RealSmartAfrica (Smart Africa Secretariat) to develop tech capabilities, she said. Good talking to my African brother, president @PaulKagame of #Rwanda. The intl. community needs to stand united during the pandemic but also after it. Looking forward to working together with @RealSmartAfrica to develop tech capabilities. Need to avoid digital divisions! pic.twitter.com/RFPwKVZlfv — Kersti Kaljulaid (@KerstiKaljulaid) April 16, 2020 With headquarters in Kigali, the Smart Africa Secretariat is a continental organisation that seeks to help African countries transform using digital technologies. President Kaljulaid last visited Rwanda in 2017 in a two-day working visit and the two discussed cooperation in digital space. Estonian and Smart Africa are already collaborating to promote Africas digital transformation. As the world grapples with Coronavirus pandemic, technology is seen as an alternative to enable certain businesses to grow. E-commerce has, for instance, picked a pace during the period many countries have put their citizens on lockdowns. Citizens in Rwanda are already accessing all needed products through digital platforms.

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Kagame, Estonian president discuss role of technology in fighting Covid-19