'Nothing is going back to normal,' Future Africa CEO warns[Pulse Voices]

Aboyeji says the world must adapt to its present circumstances and explore new opportunities.

Aboyeji says the world must adapt to its present circumstances and explore new opportunities.<p class="">Aboyeji says the world must adapt to its present circumstances and explore new opportunities.</p> <h1>The CEO of Future Africa, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, says individuals and businesses must accept the realities of a much different world with the emergence of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).</h1> <p class="">The disease has infected over 3.6 million people across the world and has disrupted social and economic activities with many countries completely shutting down.</p> <p class="">The lockdown imposed in many different territories has led to massive job losses across the world, and many small businesses have also had to shut down due to the economic impact.</p> <p class="">To prevent further spread of the highly infectious disease, people around the world have been advised to socially distance with as little physical contact as possible, as well as observe proper physical hygiene.</p> <p class="">In an interview with Pulse Nigeria, Aboyeji said it's unlikely that the world will return to its former state, and that it's important for individuals, small business owners, and big corporations to adapt.</p> <p class="">He said, <em>"The question that you have to be asking yourself and reflecting on in this period is how are you going to adapt your business, life, and skill set to be able to meet the challenges of this period.</em></p> <p class=""><em>"The first thing I'm going to tell you is that whenever you imagine what will happen, you're probably gonna lose your job, or clients.</em></p> <p class=""><em>"This is a period for you to start to prepare to turn those adverse experiences into amazing opportunities for yourself."</em></p> <figure class="embedded_application" align="center"> <figcaption>COVID-19 and the future of doing business</figcaption> </figure> <p class="">Aboyeji said it's critical that the world starts to imagine a digital future where physical contact is limited, and remote work is the new normal.</p> <p class="">He said individuals and businesses must start to leverage on the tools technology has prepared for the ongoing crisis and use them to operate in safer circumstances.</p> <p class="">The entrepreneur cautioned that the world must adapt to its present circumstances, and explore new opportunities.</p> <p class=""><em>"Don't just focus on the negatives of this time, focus on how you can make the best of the positives of this time," </em>he said.</p> <p class="">Nigeria has recorded <a href="https://www.pulse.ng/news/local/coronavirus-timeline-and-profile-of-cases-in-nigeria/k9p6lbk" id="b0f2fd1a-732d-4b34-b278-a9a80925b6fa">2,950 coronavirus cases</a> in 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, as of May 5.</p> <p class="">481 people have recovered and been discharged after medical treatment, but 98 people have died.</p> <p class="">To contain the spread of the disease, Nigeria currently has a nationwide overnight curfew , along with other certain restrictions.</p> <p class=""><strong>Pulse Voices is a series that captures public opinions on topical issues such as government policies and matters of national or global interest.</strong></p> <p class=""><strong>Because all voices matter and all opinions count in telling a complete story, this series will always strive to engage and inform but most importantly, amplify our voices where it matters most.</strong></p>