Uganda looks online for answers to COVID economic crisis

15 August 2020

Economic Development

UITED NATION

From banking, to food delivery, and taxi bookings, Uganda is rapidly becoming accustomed to many of the online tools that are commonplace in developed economies, and which don’t rely on face-to-face interactions. The UN is supporting this shift, as a way to help developing economies recover from the global economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

accustomed to：习惯于

commonplace    /ˈkɒmənpleɪs/  

1.done very often, or existing in many places, and therefore not unusual 平凡的；普通的；普遍的；2.[ usually sing. ] an event, etc. that happens very often and is not unusual 常见的事；平常的事；3.a remark, etc. that is not new or interesting 平淡无奇的言语等；老生常谈

Ruth Tindyebwa, a market vendor in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, was badly affected by the government’s lockdown measures, imposed on March 22. Much of her custom came from people walking past her stall on the way to work. After the restrictions were put into place, this source of income dried up. Things have now turned around, however, thanks to a project set up by the UN, in collaboration with a local company called Safeboda.

market vendor ：集市小贩        Ugandan /juːˈɡændən/ 乌干达的

stall /stɔːl/  

做名词：1. 货摊，摊位，售货亭（尤指集市上的）•a market stall 集市上的货摊；2.牲畜棚；马厩；牛棚；3.（房间内的）小隔间，淋浴室，洗手间；4.（剧场的）正厅前排座位•the front row of the stalls 正厅第一排；5.（教堂内）唱诗班和牧师的座位；6.（车辆发动机的）熄火；（车辆的）抛锚；7.（飞机的）失速

做动词：1. （使）熄火，抛锚 •The car stalled and refused to start again. 汽车熄火打不着了。2.[ V ] ~ (on/over sth) 故意拖延（以赢得时间） •They are still stalling on the deal. 他们仍在拖时间，而不急于达成协议。 3.拖住（以赢得时间做某事）•See if you can stall her while I finish searching her office. 你看能不能拖住她，我好把她的办公室搜查完。4.暂缓；搁置；停顿

Safer options

Safeboda promises users a safer option than the usual “bodabodas”, the motorcycle taxis, often unlicenced, that weave their way through the streets of Uganda and other east African countries. 

weave    /wiːv/  

1.~ A (from B)~ B (into A)~ sth (together) to make cloth, a carpet, a basket , etc. by crossing threads or strips across, over and under each other by hand or on a machine called a loom （用手或机器）编，织 •The baskets are woven from strips of willow. 这些篮子是用柳条编的。

2.[ VN ] ~ A (out of/from B)~ B (into A) （用…）编成 •She deftly wove the flowers into a garland. 她灵巧地把花编成了一个花环。

3.~ sth (into sth)~ sth (together) （把…）编成，编纂成，编造（故事等） •to weave a narrative 编故事

4.[ + adv./prep. ] 迂回行进，穿行（以避开障碍） •He had to weave his way through the milling crowds. 他不得不在来回乱转的人群中穿梭而行。

5.weave your ˈmagic weave a ˈspell (over sb)：（对某人）施展魔力；发挥（对某人的）影响力·Will Henry be able to weave his magic against Italy on Wednesday? 亨利星期三能施展魔力击败意大利队吗？

The company operates in a way that is familiar to users of well-known taxi-hailing platforms, such as Uber or Lyft: users download an app, enter their destination and see the estimated cost of their ride. The company offers assurances that the drivers will be safe, well-trained and professional.

Hailing v. （大量物体）像雹子般落下（或击打）；跟……打招呼；示意（出租车）停下；把……誉为；

After the Ugandan government enacted its lockdown measures, the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), responded by launching its partnership with Safeboda, creating a new e-commerce platform that connects market vendors to customers. 

enact v. /ɪˈnækt/ vt. 颁布；制定法律；扮演；发生

Orders for produce are placed via the Safeboda app, and paid for, using its mobile wallet feature. The company’s accredited riders then deliver the produce.

The result has been a boost in trade for hundreds of market vendors, regular income for the bodaboda drivers, and a safe way for customers to receive the goods.

Ms. Tindyebwa was one of the first market vendors to sign up to the project: her daily sales are now even higher than they were before lockdown. “The most amazing part is that I can save for my children's school fees on my e-wallet as I wait for the schools to reopen after this lockdown," she says.

‘E-commerce has come and it will never go away’

The Safeboda scheme is not the only partnership launched by the UN in Uganda. In May, the UN Development Programme, UNDP, joined forces with Jumia Foods, the country’s largest e-commerce company, to create an online platform specifically designed to connect some of the most vulnerable members of the workforce with potential customers.

The initiative is designed to empower those hit hardest in the informal trade sector, and more than 60 per cent of those who have signed up for it are women, young people, and persons with disabilities. 

hit hardest in the informal trade sector：这段指针对获取贸易信息困难的弱势人群

It also helps to connect farmers, keeping alive the flow of products from rural areas to urban markets. As part of the support, UNDP is providing sellers more than 3,000 vendors in five Kampala markets, with smartphones, airtime, and data packages.

At the launch of the partnership in May, Amelia Kyambadde, Uganda’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, declared that she expects it to promote the growth of online commerce. “One of the lessons we have learnt is that e-commerce has come, and it will never go away”, she said.

Elsie Attafuah, the UNDP Resident Representative in Uganda, was equally upbeat, describing the partnership with Jumia as a “safe, convenient and fast service to the citizens of Uganda”, which will boost trade. 

Upbeat  adj. /ˈʌpbiːt/  ( informal ) positive and enthusiastic; making you feel that the future will be good 乐观的；快乐的；积极向上的

“COVID-19 presents not only a health but also a humanitarian and development crisis that is threatening to leave deep social, economic and political scars for years. It is, therefore, important to expand e-commerce to enable business continuity, support livelihoods and enable early recovery from the pandemic”, she added.

Innovating a way out of crisis

One of the aims of such partnerships, is to demonstrate the many benefits of digital services to small businesses and consumers, and encourage further digital innovation, leading to sustainable growth in the Ugandan economy. 

In many other ways, the UN is working closely with Ugandan government to turn things around, by using digital tools. 

economy. Like so many other countries around the world, Uganda is struggling to cope with the devastating effects of the economic crisis brought about by COVID-19.

The World Bank estimates that real GDP growth this year will be less than 2 per cent, compared with almost 5.6 per cent in 2019.

The UN agency for trade, UNCTAD, has made several recommendations, on how to improve the supply of digital services in Uganda, and UNDP is supporting the government in its development of an e-commerce strategy, which has seen new laws have been passed, aimed at improving people’s trust in online transactions. 

E-commerce has been identified by the UN as a powerful way to drive growth, boost trade and create jobs, but many developing countries are still lagging behind in this area. 

Through initiatives such as UNCTAD’s e-trade for all platform, which aims to coordinate the efforts of NGOs, foundations, and others, to harness the potential of the internet for economic development, it is hoped that the progress seen in Uganda can be replicated elsewhere, as governments attempt to navigate their way out of this unprecedented global crisis.

Harness  /ˈhɑːnɪs/  

做名词1.马具；挽具；2.（用于人，起固定或保护作用的）背带，保护带 •a safety harness 安全带

做动词1.~ sth (to sth) 给（马等）上挽具；用挽具把…套到…上 •to harness a horse 给马上挽具 2.to control and use the force or strength of sth to produce power or to achieve sth 控制，利用（以产生能量等）

IDIOMS 习语1. in ˈharness：( BrE ) doing your normal work, especially after a rest or a holiday （尤指休息或假期结束后）做正常工作2. in harness (with sb)：( BrE ) working closely with sb in order to achieve sth （同某人）联手；密切合作

replicate v.   /ˈreplɪkeɪt/  

1.[ VN ] ( formal ) to copy sth exactly 复制；（精确地）仿制 •Subsequent experiments failed to replicate these findings. 后来的实验没有得出同样的结果。

2.( technical 术语 ) ~ (itself) ( of a virus or a molecule 病毒或分子 ) to produce exact copies of itself 再造；再生；自我复制

原文链接：https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/08/1070102