BEYOND CRISIS: ICT-INFUSED RESILIENCE FOR SMART SUPPLY CHAINS IN THE AGE OF GLOBAL EPIDEMICS
Abstract
This abstract delves into the pivotal role played by Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems in mitigating the farreaching impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on local communities, businesses, and nations. The unprecedented uncertainty introduced by the pandemic necessitated a spontaneous and coordinated global response to address the multifaceted challenges posed by the virus. This paper contends that the existence of robust and ever-ready ICT infrastructure systems played a crucial role in averting a more disastrous outcome, highlighting their instrumental contribution compared to the development and deployment timeline of vaccines. The narrative unfolds by emphasizing the unparalleled challenges that COVID-19 posed to the world, prompting a need for swift and effective measures to curtail its spread and impact. The argument pivots on the notion that the immediate and global nature of the crisis required a rapid response mechanism, and ICT systems emerged as a pre-existing, adaptable, and globally interconnected solution. Contrasting the time-consuming development of vaccines, the paper underscores how the ever-ready nature of ICT systems facilitated realtime communication, data exchange, and resource mobilization. The global catastrophe of COVID-19 revealed the resilience of ICT infrastructure, acting as a linchpin in crisis management by enabling remote work, facilitating healthcare delivery, and supporting information dissemination. In conclusion, this abstract asserts that the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic would have been significantly more calamitous without the agility and readiness of ICT systems. The immediacy of their response stands in stark contrast to the time-consuming development and distribution of vaccines, highlighting the critical role played by technology in navigating and mitigating the impact of unprecedented global crises.
Keywords:
ICT Systems, COVID-19 Pandemic, Global Response, Crisis Management, Vaccination DevelopmentDownloads
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https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10572850%20Issue
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Copyright (c) 2024 Martin Offei-Agyekum, Isaac Toku Lomatey , Evelyn Ama Baiden
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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