Technology
is known to be a game-changer when it comes to development. The industrial
revolution which saw the complete transformation of agricultural and manufacturing
industries in Britain and later in Western Europe, North America and Japan was
premised on steam engine technology. That technology enabled a great leap
forward of the human race, through enhanced productivity, as man was able to
capture and unleash immense energy stored abundantly in water and coal. The technology gap is a critical factor that explains
the difference between economic development and prosperity between the
developed and developing countries.
Today
rapid technological advancement continues to take place in high income and middle-income countries, while insignificant technological progress is taking
place in low-income countries. This has
been the case for centuries, thus condemning citizens of low-income countries
to perpetual poverty. Anyone interested in solving the challenges of poverty,
hunger and disease in Sub-Saharan Africa should boldly come up with strategies
of reducing the yawning technological gap currently existing in the region.
It’s true that in this part of the world people lack access to food, reliable
electricity, clean water and sanitary facilities, health facilities, reliable
transport, enough clothes, including shoes, stable and affordable broadband
etc.
There
are a lot of suggestions on how this gap can be plugged. Some advocate for
technological transfer mechanisms, which allows the sharing of risks and
rewards between the technology developer and the recipient country, institution
or company. Technological and innovation diffusion proponents also argue that
over time an innovation or technology can be passed to all members of the world
community, subject to demographic and cultural factors. The other way is for
less technologically advanced countries to just import the technology for
production. Thus a country in Sub-Saharan Africa would import some earth-moving
equipment from a manufacturer in a developed country. This is, however, very
costly to Africa because the resources expended are just too much and leave
these communities poorer. The foreign exchange used to import these pieces of
technology could be used to solve pressing issues like the provision of basic
services, including disease prevention and cure. Again the terms of trade are such
that the poor countries are losing out. Great amount of raw materials are
shipped out, at low prices, determined, it would appear, by the manufactures of
the equipment, and not by the producers of the raw materials. When the
equipment, made from the same materials bought at rock-bottom prices, and in
some cases looted from Africa, is exported back to Sub-Saharan Africa, the cost
to the importing countries is often exorbitant, especially in light of
available budgets. The premium of value addition offshore is close to
profiteering, from the eyes of consumers of technology in Africa.
SOLUTIONS:
Africa
today is clamoring for simple but effective technologies across the whole
spectrum of life. The technology should talk to indigenous knowledge systems
and environmental issues. In fact, the future of Africa lies in these
technologies. They are the foundation of further technological development
which shall see the continent pushing farther the boundaries of poverty, hunger
and disease. So what kind of technologies are we talking about, and which
Africa really wants?
1. Water harvesting technologies-
these enable rural, impoverished communities in dry regions to harness the
little precipitation they receive to increase the resilience of their food and income-generating projects.
2. Irrigation technologies- After
the water has been harvested, how can rural farmers use the water in the most
efficient way possible to increase productivity and income in cost-effective
manner?
3. Water purification technologies- these
enable communities to purify water for consumption to reduce water-borne
diseases like cholera, dysentery etc.
4. Food preservation technologies- to
assist the rural farmers to preserve agricultural produce, including fruits for
longer periods.
5. Food processing technologies- to
add value, rudimentary as it may be, to the produce such that the income
generated from their endeavors is enhanced.
6. Crop and animal breeding technologies- to
increase the productivity of crop and animal varieties.
7. Aquaculture technologies- to
enhance fish production to secure a sustainable source of protein supply to the
rural and urban poor.
8. Energy-efficient technologies- these
provide energy for the least cost possible to the environment and users,
utilizing renewable sources to stem desertification and other effects of
climatic change.
9. Waste management and recycling
technologies- to deal with a menace of litter in urban
areas and protect the environment and people from pollution.
10. Farming and mining technologies- motorized
equipment for tilling, cultivating, harvesting and storing crops, and simple
and effective mining equipment which reduces the siltation and pollution of rivers.
11. Technologies for Mosquito Mass
Destruction (TMMD)- simple, but effective technologies for
launching a frontal attack and totally eliminate Anopheles Gambiae in Africa.
12. Latrines and sanitary technologies- to arrest
the spread of fatal diseases like cholera, dysentery, typhoid etc in densely
populated areas.
13. Cotton, wool and silk weaving
technologies- produce basic garments to cover one’s body, with further processing for those
who can afford.
14. Synthetic fiber technologies- to
accelerate the access of people to new clothing, including shoes, and not to
rely on the benevolence of others from developed countries, who currently
donate old clothes, including undergarments to poor countries.
15. Hide tanning technologies- to process
hides from abattoirs for manufacturing of basic leather products for local
consumption and for exporting the surplus, processed products.
16. Motorized transport- to
efficiently move both people and cargo, especially bulky agricultural produce
to markets and mineral ore to the processing zones.
17. Construction technologies- to
enable people to build decent, yet cost-effective accommodation.
18. Pharmaceutical & health
technologies- to harness the indigenous knowledge systems
in medicine passed from our forebears to solve health care challenges.
19. Information and Communication
Technologies (ICT)- for conducting research, e-learning, e-commerce, e-health,
e-government and other critical sectors to enhance efficiencies and use
technology to broaden access to basic services, especially targeting marginalized
communities.
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Testing a treadle pump in Malawi courtesy of Appropedia (www.appropedia.org) |
The
above applications are by no means exhaustive but are illustrative of how
technology can change lives. Any person, or organization, or government, or
NGO, or multilateral institution, or institution of scientific research, higher
and/or vocational learning willing and capable to offer practical, simple and
effective technologies for Sub-Saharan Africa is encouraged to do so not only
for compassionate reasons, but to make money. The economics of these
technologies offer huge potential for higher returns. According to one Peter
Makwanya, on his article on How Corporates Can aid Rural Technologies, Zimbabwe
Independent, August 17, 2012, “Real builders of modern Zimbabwe would be those
whose ideas address the needs for economic development and job creation in
rural areas and the business sector should play a leading role.”
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A Parabolic Solar Cooker- made from waste material can cook delicious food and pasturize drinking water - Courtesy of Appropedia |
On
his recent visit to Zimbabwe, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations, director-general,
Dr Jose Graziano Da Silva, emphasized the need to use local knowledge and
solutions to tackle local challenges, particularly in areas of food security.
His remarks, as reported by The Herald Zimbabwe, 18 July 2012, “Our target
is to increase production by between 50 and 70 percent by the year 2050 and
this is only possible if we equip the smallholder farmers in particular with
information on the use of cheap but effective technologies.”
There is, therefore,
an agreement among stakeholders that Zimbabwe and Sub-Saharan Africa’s production
challenges can be tackled by simple, cheap, appropriate, practical and
effective technologies, for the benefit of those communities. Government
intervention in terms of crafting and implementing enabling policies to direct
and incentivize role players, which include but not limited to the corporate
sector, investors, research institutions, lenders and individuals to increase and intensify their efforts is invaluable. External support to complement local
resources is required from developmental partners and philanthropists.
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A simple but effective Greywater Purification System, Ecuador- Courtesy of Appropedia |
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