NAIROBI, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Huawei on Sunday pledged to support Africa's COVID-19 epidemic control efforts, an official said.

Chen Lei, president of Huawei Southern Africa region said in commentary published in The Standard newspaper that its remote video conferencing systems have already helped medical institutions communicate more efficiently.

"We have also implemented an AI-based diagnosis solution in several medical institutions. CT scan reviews can now be completed in two minutes, 80 percent faster, in a race with time, critical for saving lives," Chen said.

He noted that the Chinese telecom firm will continue using its core information and communication capabilities to support Africa's efforts to combat the novel coronavirus.

The official added that during the pandemic and once Huawei secured its people and operations, it looked at how to support its business partners in Africa.

"We were fortunate to assist with social distancing by African organizations through our technologies," Chen observed.

He added that as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19, a new business model is taking shape across sectors, one characterized by remote work, distance education, remote healthcare, online shopping and mobile money.

"This new paradigm is driven by vastly greater data consumption, facilitated by the mass connectivity of 4G/5G technology," he said.