It’s been a couple of tough months for the whole world since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Giant industries from aviation, hospitality and the banking sector to fruit vendors and delivery services have all seen a drastic shift in how they conduct their businesses in a bid to cope with the change.
Some of these industries include:
1. Delivery services
In Kenya especially, we’ve seen a major shift in how delivery services operate. Some companies not only increased the coverage of delivery, but a number of boda boda guys also joined the industry to make some extra money and keep themselves busy as their businesses slowed down.
The goods being delivered also increased from the basic shopping and fast food, but also beauty products, health care equipment like blood pressure machines and even medicine.
2. Mask and PPE makers
When the pandemic first hit the country, there was a surge in demand for PPEs not just for frontline health workers but every citizen. This however proved to be a challenge since the demand couldn’t match the resources required at first – this then became a new avenue for some entrepreneurs to start making high-quality masks.
They even went a step further and started making creative and reusable homemade masks which proved cheaper for the common mwananchi.
3. The home-making industry
With a majority of people working (and still working from home), people realized that the homes needed sprucing up since they would spend more time in their homes. This brought up more creativity in how people handled such changes including upholstery cleaning at affordable prices, deep cleaning, making of products like scented candles that make the home more enjoyable to live in and even pet grooming handlers.
4. The agriculture industry
About 10 minutes from our home, dozens of farmers congregate to sell farm produce from their cars and mkokotenis (carts). This isn’t necessarily a new tradition, but with many losing their sources of livelihood during the pandemic, these farmers saw the need for people to fill their homes with fresh produce and the customers also saw the importance of supporting these small farmers.
Some of these farmers still have their day-to-day jobs this they take advantage of the weekend which had now become the unofficial market day for most neighborhoods.
5. Entertainment
If there is a sector that saw rapid change was the entertainment industry especially in Nairobi. We saw DJs, event planners and producers come together to provide entertainment through various online streaming services. This saw an uptake of viewership as events, concerts and gatherings were put on hold due to lockdowns being executed all over the world.
Many entertainers saw a growth in their audience as some saw the opportunity to break into the industry which was a win-win for both the entertainers and their audience.
These and so many others aren’t new services that came about because of Covid, but saw a unique opportunity to improve the lives of so many people who kept waking up to uncertain times
