With this story of “physical and social distancing” that Covid's quindiva forces us with, the fashion is now “virtual meetings on digital platforms”. No one is looking for anyone to gather: they do it on Zoom, streamline, live and a few more names that just over a year ago no one knew or cared about any of them, and — that's it! When they get scared, the gang is getting together. Even the sacrosanct General Assembly of the United Nations, for the first time in its history, was done in this way: each Head of State “stayed away” in his house. It brought together its ministers and secretaries, “pointed out” some cameras in the same way, connected themselves to a television monitor and thus held the meeting that symbolizes the greatest event in world diplomacy.
In ministries and high offices, the same thing: no one leaves his office for meetings and work meetings. Each one connects the computer to such digital platforms and, without doing anything more than a click, connects and gathers as if everyone were in the same room. Or rather, come to think of it, they're even in the same room. Only digital. The meeting room is virtual and the meeting has a chic name: video conferencing.
For a good few months I've been coveting a “heavy” of these videoconferencing systems in the meeting room of a Kamba minister of mine. Sitting in her chair, the minister speaks to Geneva, to New York, to the provinces, organizes projects and programs, gives her guidelines and, to my surprise, often gives instructions to subordinates in the provinces, who communicate with her. from their phones. I've seen her once asking to be sent a video of a situation that had caught her attention and receiving it in less than ten minutes. The video was taken at the same time by the technician, using his mobile phone. The meeting then continued with the minister talking about the situation as if she had seen it. And actually saw it, through that technology. Astonished, I asked how they had obtained the most sophisticated equipment I had seen, and they told me that it had been a gift from the technology giant Huawei, as a contribution to the fight against the pandemic that is devastating the entire world and Angola as well.
I remembered this when I saw a few days ago on the news that the same company had donated intelligent videoconferencing equipment to the First Lady and committed, through a cooperation agreement, to implement an ICT training plan that will include topics such as 5G and progress in industry, data communication networks and development trends, cloud computing, technology basics, artificial intelligence, among others. In the period 2021-2022, Huawei will provide 6 hours of introductory courses on ICT's and XNUMX hours of Training for Certification in Huawei Solutions. The programs are aimed at young people identified under the programs of the Office of the First Lady.
Knowing a little about the First Lady and the way she works – it is no coincidence that it was the Minister of Planning who served the longest time and was a member of the Board of the World Bank – I really can see the tremendous value that the donated equipment will constitute for her and for your assistants. I can even see her retaking the leadership she exercised in the African First Ladies' Forum initiative in the fight against mother-to-child transmission of HIV during pregnancy. This program, known among us as “Born Free to Shine”, and which was already bearing very promising results, was brutally truncated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the inability of everyone, including her, to carry out the follow-up trips and evaluation that it did so well for the provinces. I can also see her, through this system, resuming coordination meetings with the wives of the Provincial Governors who coordinate the project in their respective provinces. I dare say that, with this offer, Huawei may have given an important boost to the rebirth of what I consider one of the greatest humanitarian initiatives of President João Lourenço's term.
Another important opportunity that Huawei facilitates is training young people in artificial intelligence solutions and increasing their fluency in the domain of cutting-edge digital technologies. There, once again, I see a hint of the First Lady's vision. This fluency, today for today, not only protects us from the contamination of the coronavirus, but also constitutes a tremendous means of savings in a context of very few financial resources. With the popularization of digital meetings and gatherings, it will be possible to hold national meetings, consultative councils and even congresses without the large costs in transport, accommodation and food that we are used to. And the amount of attendance will be maximized – no one will be able to say they didn't come because of the travel inconveniences – and the quality too, as everyone will be able to attend the event from the comfort of their home or office.
I confess that I was jealous of the offer that my Kamba minister and the First Lady received from Huawei. One of my dreams is to have such a system for my professional “kavwanzas” with the kambas who work with me a bit for this world that God created. Hence the title of this chronicle: No one offers me just one such mambo too? Dreaming doesn't cost money, only sleep…
