Chronicle Editor
Economic experts the world over are in agreement that there will be a new world order after the struggle against Covid-19 is over.
Economists are of the view that new ways of doing business will emerge and dominate the world, and some innovative companies are already taking the initiative. With most countries implementing lockdowns as a strategy to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus, which stopped or limited the movement of people and also affected business in the same manner, some companies have come up with ways to keep head above water in these trying times.
There is no single company that can claim that its business operations were not affected as the health crisis has affected people throughout the world, and people are a key resource in any business. Nonetheless, there has to be life after Covid-19 and businesses will still have to balance their books, and people will still need jobs to put food on the table, and above all, children will still need to go to school.
Against that background, innovation is key so that businesses catch up on lost time and business. Last week, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga said Covid-19 and lockdowns being implemented across the globe should be used as a wake up call for governments to focus on home grown solutions to build their economies.
It is encouraging that local companies and universities are already at the forefront of producing sanitisers and Personal Protective Equipment to help in the fight against the virus, but more has to be done if the country is to go back on track to resuscitate the economy.
Nonetheless, other businesses also have to come up with ways of remaining in business.
“The pandemic and the lockdowns throughout the world should be a wake up call to all developing countries to depend more on ourselves. Just as our clarion call during the struggle to free ourselves from political bondage was that we are our own liberators, so it is with our economic survival in this area where the proponents of globalisation have been proved wrong,” said VP Chiwenga.
Writing on a blog last week, a labour consultant Mr Davis Sibanda warned workers to improve their skills so that they remain relevant post Covid-19.
“Online conduct of meetings, lectures and examinations brings in a lot of changes. There will be less travel, less use of hotels, less food eaten in hotels, less fuel consumed by businesses. Online purchases such as one done by Fazak in Bulawayo means job losses for till operators. Home delivery of packaged farm produce directly from farms means changes to the way middlemen will have to operate.
“Upgrading of hospitals could also leave a permanent mark. Online purchases of drugs will have an impact on the future of pharmacists. The worst mistake many workers are making is to sit at home and wait for the lockdown to come to an end and go back to jobs and companies, which might no longer be there. A smart worker should have foresight and retool for the future,” he said.
Moreover, the Covid-19 challenge is certain to be with us for some time, as the cure for the disease is yet to be found.
Even when national lockdowns across the world get eased and businesses are allowed to slowly and systematically get back on their feet, there will still be need for people to be alert and not drop their guard.
All the guidelines and safety precautions of avoiding the disease or stopping the spread of the disease must be followed.
The end of lockdowns, whenever that will be, will not mean that the menace of Covid-19 has also ended.
Online Reporter