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‘New Technology is the Key to African Prosperity?’ Or is it?

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Posted by: Ella Romanos on January 28, 2008 Under: Africa, Business & Technology, Discussion Lounge, Feature



tech.JPGAfter reading the article ‘”New Technology Is Key To African Prosperity” -Mteto Nyati, Director of IBM South Africa’s Global Services’ the author could not help but question the basis of the statement.

It seems that there is some confusion between the terms ‘development’ and ‘technology’, perhaps because in the western world’s recent history the two have become largely synonymous. However they are not the same thing, and it should be clearly defined that technology, used in the correct way, helps development, rather than the availability of technology itself being development.

Successful technology that is introduced in the western world is introduced because of a need or a want that has been identified. It is not been introduced because the developer thinks that the technology will automatically be used simply because it can be.

The author is not by any means saying that technology should not be used or introduced in Africa (the author in fact believes strongly that technology, used in the right way, should be introduced), but emphasis needs to be on improving the current situation, not trying to change it drastically. For example, figuring out how to improve the current ways of life, such as agriculture, rather than trying to force a change through use and introduction of technology simply for the sake of the technology itself.

It is clearly in some cases a matter of wording. Perhaps with the issues that Mteto Nyati deals with, there is a problem that needs solving, and he has identified that the use of a specific technology (in this case personal computers) could help solve the problem. However, making the statement that ‘New Technology Is Key to African Prosperity’ is really a bit of an assuming leap from identifying a specific problem and a possible solution to insinuating that new technology is the answer to all of Africa’s problems. There are many issues surrounding African development, all of which impact in different ways, and all of which need to be considered in relation to each other, dependent on country, culture, society, economy, political situation and many other factors. Simply, technology can help increase prosperity, when considered alongside the multitude of other factors. It cannot solve the problems on its own.

Western societies were not suddenly provided with massive changes in the way of doing things, technology was developed gradually, to fit with the current situation and needs, which gradually led to development and prosperity.

This issue of technology and development is one that is debated by many people involved in Africa’s development. It is in some ways a like the chicken and the egg argument – which comes first? Some say that Africa should be provided with technology, and allow them to find ways to use it, some say that development is needed first, to allow a technology to fit within the current situation and fulfil a need.

However, the author leans more towards the development before technology approach, because of two reasons. Firstly, because she believes that we should learn from development in other countries (where natural progression forced development before technology, where technology was developed to fulfill a need or want) and secondly because the approach in the past has generally been the opposite (to provide technology and then find a need), and has not so far led to successful development.

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5 comment(s)

  1. Bobby | Jan 28, 2008 | Reply

    There is No way in hell anyone can convince me that a 5-million-gig mp3 player would be more useful to a piss poor African child than the building of and the knowledge of building strong infrastructures that can help spur growth.

    The resource-heavy Africa should not substitute necessities for luxuries.

    Economies do good when things are being built and sold not bought from other countries.

    My suggestion is to NOT BUY ANY FINISHED PRODUCT THAT YOU CAN BARELY AFFORD, NEED TO BORROW TO ACQUIRE, AND THAT DOES NOT, IN THE LONG TERM BENEFIT YOU.

    But of course, some Western Country will fool another greedy/gullible African “leader” into mismanaging his country’s capital.

  2. CareTaker | Jan 28, 2008 | Reply

    The caption of the article you refer to may be misleading if used out of context.

    Mteto Nyati speaks about education and the need to bridge the digital bridge between Africa and the rest of the world. This is the bed-rock of the technology he speaks about, not some esoteric use of technology that has little meanings to the people in Africa, and certainly not about luxurious high-tech items.

  3. CareTaker | Jan 29, 2008 | Reply

    IRIN:Even simple tech helps reduce poverty
    http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=76211

  4. Ella Romanos | Jan 29, 2008 | Reply

    I agree that of course technology can help poverty if used in the correct way, and from this article the facts seem to indicate that it did in this case. (although myself many others are extremely sceptical of anything to do with the World Bank…)

    I have to say though, the Grameen work has always seemed to me to be a good example of how technology can succeed.

    Something I particularly like about the article is the ’simple’ technology part - This is interesting (thanks for the link caretaker!) as it emphasises that it is not about what technology is used, it is about how it is used.

    I don’t want to come across as against technology, I am in fact a great believer that technology can help (and am a developer personally!), I just also believe that it is crucial that technology is not assumed to be the answer in itself.

  5. Xcroc | Jan 29, 2008 | Reply

    Technology is how we communicate. It is a tool, and an essential tool for survival as well as development or advancement everywhere. Appropriate technology can only be determined by working with and consulting the people who will be using it. Even when technology is given or “imposed”, people are most creative in using, adapting, and changing it to their needs. You can see this all over Africa, particularly with cellphones. The people using technology will create and adapt it to their needs. It is really very organic when you watch it happening. To say that something else should come first, or instead, is to miss the point. Without communication technology that will communicate at speed and compatibility with global communications, any of us, anywhere on the globe, are left in the dust. It is now the same as learning to talk and to read.

    Technology is a toy as well, but it would not be such a desirable toy, if it were not such a powerful tool. If we are using information technology, and able to read and comment here at African Loft, we are hardly in a position to judge whether someone else needs it or not. Obviously we feel we need it, we have already made that choice, and taken advantage of the opportunity. Do we have any right to say someone else should not have, or does not need, what we want and need?

    Infrastructure cannot be built without appropriate technology to plan and support it, and to communicate among the people working on the infrastructure projects. Local control and management requires local knowledge and skills to do the job.

    I remember when if I wanted to call Ghana from the US, I had to book overseas calls months in advance. I would have to stay home that day, because I would not know when the call might go through. You cannot do business that way. By the time we got in touch with people the business would have gone under. More recently we used communication centers. But that was still awkward, requiring arrangements in advance, and a lot of wasted time. Now we are running some small farms and business. It requires phone calls everyday. Cell phones in Ghana are essential for us to reach the people working there, and keep tabs on what is going on.

    I mention cell phones particularly. If you watch trends, and observe how young people use technology, the more portable, more powerful, and more versatile a communication device is, the more desirable it is, both as tool and as toy.

    Then there is the question of open source software, which is another huge discusion. So I will just say this. If you want to create your own devices and applications, and even more important, if you want to contribute to the knowledge of the world at large, you need to be able to control and develop your own tools, and they need to be transferable.

    My regards to all. I think this is a critical conversation. And thank you Ella Romanos for bringing it up.

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