By Emeka Aginam
In the new world economy,   innovative technology has been driving change, especially in educational, healthcare and business ecosystem, making life better and easier for the rural communities around the world.

Narrating her experience how technology has helped her save life, Josephine Udo, , 40, a petty trader, has just left home for her stall beside the ever-busy road in Oban town, Cross River State.

On her way, she received a phone call that her youngest son has come down with fever. She immediately aborted her journey to the stall and quickly dashed home, picked her son and proceeded on a 10km journey to the nearest hospital.

From left: Managing Director, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Brovo Kim; Permanent Secretary, Cross-River State Ministry of Education, Mrs. Anne Odey; Special Adviser to the Governor of Cross-River State on International Development Co-operation, Mr. Roy Ndoma-Egba; Chairman, Akamkpa Local Government Area, Hon. Joseph Etotip; Programme Coordinator, United Nations Population Fund, Dr. Aline Mukundwa and Programme Officer Science, UNESCO, Dr. Osuji Otu during the commissioning of Samsung Digital Village, in   Oban Community, Akamkpa, Cross-River State, recently.

After consultation with the doctor, the boy was placed on malaria drugs but the hospital’s pharmacy was out of malaria medicines. He was   also supposed to receive a vaccine but unfortunately, the last batch, which the hospital received a few months ago, has been discarded because there was irregular electricity   to preserve the vaccines.

The illness cost   Bassey’s mother lots of money and time as it could   have been worse as Bassey himself was put at the risk of death.

Interestingly, the global socio-economic landscape today has welcomed many organizations that are changing the educational, healthcare and business terrain with innovative and exciting products and services that improve life.

In India, for instance, Educom is providing solutions that can support every level of educational need from individual teachers, to large scale procurement for new educational projects, by working with schools, colleges, state bodies and teachers to provide advice and resource materials to improve learning outcome.

These smart schools are fostering opportunities for teaching and learning by integrating learning technology in these areas.

People in this community and bordering communities, however spend less on acquiring better education.

Similarly, Africa Indoor Residual Spraying programme (AIRS), since 2001, has also helped protect millions of people in Africa from malaria, by spraying insecticide on the walls, ceilings, and other indoor resting places of mosquitoes that transmit malaria, also ensuring that spraying does not harm people or the environment.

It is expected that Africans with the help of this program will spend less on the treatment of malaria and will be at a lower risk of death caused by malaria.

In Nigeria, Samsung Electronics West Africa had demonstrated its passion to help meet the demand for unique solutions in education, healthcare and electrification with it its digital village initiative.

Accordingly, the digital   village utilizes one resource that Africa has in abundance, “sunshine”.

In partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Samsung recently launched a solution, dubbed the Samsung Digital Village, in Oban, Cross River State.

The capacity building program which is   first of its kind in Nigeria   is made up of several solar powered innovations, which altogether provide holistic solutions to rural infrastructure challenges, such as those faced by people like Mama Bassey. The Digital Village relies on alternative energy (solar energy) to power its activities.

Speaking at the commissioning of the Digital Village recently, Mr. Brovo Kim, Managing Director of Samsung Electronics West Africa, told the gathering that   a sizeable proportion of rural communities across Africa do not have access to electricity, a situation that denies people in these areas access   to tools and resources to drive socio-economic development.  “We are not only bridging the digital divide but also providing a facility that meets the most critical health and educational needs of the rural community,” he added.

The Digital Village has several components that the beneficiaries can leverage on to enhance their livelihoods. For instance, the solar powered generators are the heart of the digital village and are designed to power classrooms, small businesses and community facilities.

The generators can last for up to 25 years, compared to the normal traditional diesel generators which are not that sustainable and require a lot of servicing. The batteries in the generators can last for up to eight years before they are replaced.

Innovations such as the Digital Village, smart classroom and malaria management have been known to transform lives and communities.

Just last year, a randomized control trial in a Ugandan community found that tea, when consumed once a week, was effective in preventing multiple episodes of malaria in humans living in malaria endemic areas. Smart classes, however, have changed the process of learning. In this new dispensation, learning is happening more through screens; be it television, laptop or films.

Students are very quick in learning new technologies, particularly when used in education; it enhances the understanding of the concepts.

The Digital Village is designed to help beneficiaries overcome socio-economic barriers that prevent rural community dwellers from obtaining quality healthcare and education.

The initiative will also contribute to the ICT sector, through the provision of transformative e-learning solutions.

With these barriers sufficiently lowered, the digital environment offers opportunities for people to take part in the wide spectrum of activities that makes learning sociable and fun.

The strategic thrust of this innovative initiative reveals an operational shared value approach, which is manifested in the fact that both Samsung and its consumers are expected to benefit from this innovative social investment to transform the lives of its beneficiaries.

The Samsung Digital village has previously been launched in South Africa, Ghana and Gabon and has positively impacted upon the lives of millions of people in these countries.

The village has provided them with a cluster of connected health and education facilities, helping to fast track the development of these countries.

With innovations such as this, it is expected that there will be less demand on the family purse and time. Rural dwellers like   Bassey’s mother   are saved the hassles of travelling long distances in search of healthcare services for their families, hence lowering the risk of death.

The solar powered electricity now available will make the difference. It is not in doubt that these solutions, combined with a strategic partnership with UNESCO, will engender smarter, stronger and well informed communities.