Two major African public bodies are promoting a new digital platform that is sort of to connect the continent’s Covid-19 testing centers and enhance reopening of travel across the region.
The two bodies; African Union and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are encouraging member states to integrate the mobile-based PanaBIOS platform that would allow results from facilities across the continent to be centralized.
The mobile-based PanaBIOS platform is so far being used by only Ghana but could see a wider coverage once taken up by other African countries.
While speaking in Ghana’s capital Accra over the weekend, the communication minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said Ghana is being used as the pioneer country for the digital platform usage.
“The learnings from the uptake of the app and the usage of the app will be shared with the Africa CDC and be applied by other African countries,” she added.
Most African nations have either kept their borders closed since the pandemic began to spread or reopened with tight restrictions. Some require multiple negative coronavirus tests and, in some cases, self-isolation at a designated hotel at the expense of the traveler and many still opting for a two week mandatory quarantine on arrival all which is time consuming and costly.
During the launch of the digital app in Ghana, Preston Asante, a spokesman said that PanaBIOS platform could eliminate the need for travelers to take repeated tests so long as they are coming from a country that’s also signed up to the platform.
The implementation of the technology, developed by Koldchain, a Kenyan startup, is being funded by AfroChampions, an organization that brings together some of the biggest companies on the continent.
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