Hope Olorunfemi: Russian Traffic Management Technology Could Help Save More Lives in Africa

Ahead of the opening of the Second Global Digital Forum in Gorky Park, participants visited VDNKh and shared their impressions with the IT Russia media platform. In particular, they spoke about the Russian technologies that surprised them most and what they expect from the upcoming days of the forum. Hope Olorunfemi of Kenya shared her perspective:

– Two things struck me in Moscow. First, the way traffic is managed: a single system lets you see every street and how traffic is moving in different parts of the city. Second, the response to accidents: help arrives quickly here. There is a strong focus on people's health, and if you need medical attention, you can get it right away.

I would like to learn more about this traffic management system. There are a great many accidents in Africa, and of course we would like to manage the situation better so we can save more lives. I was also very impressed by how quickly medical assistance is provided after a traffic accident or a heart attack. We face these problems at home as well, so these are solutions we could learn from and adopt.

I expect a lot from the forum. After what I've seen, I hope to meet many people, talk with them and learn a great deal. I'm interested in how artificial intelligence is being used and how innovation in this field is developing in Russia and across the Global South. We would definitely like to use some of these technologies in Africa.

Notably, smart city technologies and rapid-response systems have emerged as some of the most striking features of Moscow for visitors to the Russian capital.