Introduction about yourself and your company
I am a young businessman in the Fintech & Tech industries since Jan 2020. But I have been in the Fintech space since 2016 on a freelance basis as a consultant.
I have been working in the Banking sector of Mauritius for more than 12 years and graduated from the University of Technology, Mauritius, and the University of Mauritius.
Wakanda 4.0 was launched in Jan 2020 with the support and collaboration of Ducorp, XTM. W4.0 is a Mauritius based company which is specialized in the business development of modern technologies in Africa and other parts of the world. W4.0 also organizes lots of training and conferences in Mauritius.
W4.0 provides consultancy services on Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and Fintech in general. We help companies to implement their Fintech projects by providing advice, recommendations and the technology required.
How are you and your business doing in the time of crisis?
It is obvious that nearly all businesses have suffered from lockdowns around the world. There are lots of opportunities lost and many projects have been postponed. But we have adjusted our strategy during the lockdown to adapt to the situation. W4.0 in partnership with 2 other companies have launched an Online Shopping platform named Moris.Store (www.moris.store). There were tremendous demands for online shopping and home delivery as all supermarkets were closed and there were restrictions on movements.
W4.0 team has been really busy during the crisis developing the platform, onboarding suppliers, and providing customer service. All these were done remotely.
But working from home is not as easy as it looks!!
What do you think will happen after the quarantine period is over?
Things will definitely not be the same. Some people will be very cautious by not going to crowded places and others will need to go back to their usual activities to earn a living. Businesses will have to amend their Business Continuity Plan to include remote works. More attention will be given to technology in the aftermath of COVID-19.
What are the lessons you have learned from this pandemic?
The most important thing that I have learned during this pandemic is that we should be prepared to face any catastrophe or pandemic at any time. The world has been hit by an invisible enemy with no vaccine available and which is being spread rapidly amongst the population. Businesses should be prepared to operate in lockdown situations.
All the essential services should be digitalized. It is essential for the world population to survive in lockdowns.
And I have also learned that whether you are rich or not, we were all equal during this pandemic as Money could not do anything at all!!
What are the things you are grateful for?
Here, in Mauritius, we have been able to contain the virus quite rapidly. Our frontiers were closed on time to avoid more infected people from entering the country and the government has been quite reactive to this chaotic situation.
And also, I'm grateful to the laboratories who confirmed that this virus could be fought with hydroxychloroquine. We have been able to cure 97% of the infected people in Mauritius and unfortunately we lost 10 people.
This goes without saying that we should all be very grateful to the front-liners who have been working hard and taking the risks of being contaminated. I am referring mainly to the Nurses, Doctors, Police Officers, Supermarkets Staff, Delivery men, and more. A big thank you to them and hats off. We must show lots of respect for these people. I have really appreciated the fact that some governments around the world are compensating these front liners for their hard work during the lockdowns. Other Governments around the world should follow this initiative.
Can you please share some stories of what you are doing in this ECQ?
One positive thing is that I have been spending lots of time with my family. I am sure my little cutie, 2.5 months, has enjoyed this ECQ with her dad at home 24/24. But at the time, as a parent, I was very anxious about the health of my daughter.
Then, most of my time was spent on the new venture that I have mentioned above.
Can you give some advice to other people and businesses out there during this pandemic?
I would recommend people to please abide by the rules and precautionary measures being imposed by governments. For businesses, I would recommend them to get online as soon as possible and resume your activities at earliest. Also, they need to get prepared for the re-opening of their respective businesses after the lockdown period is over.
On another note, top management should start considering having staff working from home/remotely.
The Digital Transformation of businesses in the aftermath of COVID-19 is becoming a must!
Do you agree that Blockchain can help sustain the economy?
Yes, I agree that Blockchain can help to sustain the economy. Like we have been repeating several times, Blockchain technology could be applied in different sectors of the world economy. The benefits of using blockchain would definitely help in times of lockdowns.
But Blockchain is only one of the many technologies that can help the world economy. I am making an appeal to the World to have a closer look at the different modern technologies available. Things will definitely not be the same again.
I am also expecting some companies to start doing home deliveries through drones shortly in this lockdown! Watch out.
Where can we follow you and your business?
You can follow Wakanda 4.0 and me on Facebook and Linked In. Invitation to all to connect with me on these 2 social media platforms.
If you want to learn more about Wakanda 4.0, kindly visit our website at the following address: www.wakanda.tech
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