The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that is currently quickly traveling through Nigeria requires government and people actions.

Firstly, in a bid to curb the spread of the virus, the Nigerian government has embarked on a “stay at home campaign”. With schools shutting down and people working from home. Secondly, no one knows exactly when coronavirus will fade away. It is therefore important that you make the best of your time while quarantining.

Below are 5 intelligent Investment Moves to Make While You Self-quarantine throughout the Coronavirus season.

1. Take An Online Course 

You have always wanted to learn a new skill online but never really had the time. Probably because of your day job or heavy workload in school? This is a good time to learn that new skill, you have always wanted to learn. Instead of spending quality time watching all the movies on Netflix or participating in challenges on social media.

In a bid to ease the burden of coronavirus for many right now, a number of online platforms are offering discounts and even free courses.

Some suggested platforms to check out include but not limited to:

edX

Udemy 

Coursera

Memory

365datascience

Consider taking on certification courses on either digital marketing, programming, photography, data analytics, data science or graphics design. Most importantly, your focus should be on programs with skills that can help you make money; or some extra income in the short, mid or long term.

2. Start A YouTube Channel 

Are you passionate about a topic? You are an expert in a field? Are you willing to share your knowledge or skills with others? If your answer is YES to any of the above questions then you should really consider starting your own YouTube channel. 

For example, you might say your phone is not good enough to start with. Or you don’t have a professional video camera. If you dwell too much on such excuses, you would never start anything. Therefore, it’s best you just start with the resources you have at the moment. You can record with your mobile phone but make sure you turn the phone horizontally. Unless the video is meant for IG TV.

You would need a plan for your channel and good lighting. Furthermore, you can create quick amazing edits with Kinemaster. It is a very user-friendly mobile video editing application used by many top YouTubers today. You should check out our eBook on “10 Digital Marketing Tools They Don’t Want You To Know“. You will find the tools showcased in the eBook useful.

Initially, do not focus on making money on YouTube, just let your passion and consistency be the main drivers. Also, note that you can leverage other platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for your content promotions.

3. Get Health Insurance 

It is well known that a lot of Nigerians do not see health or life insurance as a thing of priority. If you are one of those in that category and you do not have health or life insurance, this is a good time to get insured. As much as we do not pray to get sick, it is wise to be insured.

If you already have an insurance policy, you might want to review your current policy to ensure that it can cover for a pandemic as the coronavirus. 

4. Re-strategize  

Are you a small business owner operating in an industry that is directly affected by the spread of coronavirus? For example, if you run a restaurant, a hair salon, a cybercafe, bar, you fall into this category. For the reason that your business depends on a face to face interaction with customers. You might want to consider researching and embarking on investing in a venture where person to person contact won’t be necessary. Also, digitalize your products or productize your service. 

Furthermore, investing in products or services that are currently in high demand, makes good business sense. Personally, I would prefer a service business that can be completed with minimal customer contact. That said, a product or service that would make your customer money, help them save money or that would be of great value to their wellbeing, would sell. If you can do any of these, you become much less replaceable. 

5. Skip Unnecessary Expenses 

In a crisis such as this, you don’t need to panic. However, you have to be extra cautious about your spending habits. Reconsider your subscriptions. Are they all necessary right now? Would you be able to save a little more if you cut down on certain expenses? No one knows exactly when the virus will disappear. Spending out of control right now is not advisable. Rather, invest in things that would yield valuable returns in the short, mid or long term. 

To conclude, please do not forget to wash your hands and keep your surroundings clean.