Africa should go hi-tech

2005-07-27 15:00

Johannesburg - African cities could experience a transformation like Hyderabad and Bangalore in India, where computer and telecoms industries have reinvigorated local economies, according to a report in an issue of New Scientist this month.

"Today's African universities are factories that churn out civil servants, while most cities are little more than administrative centres," an article quotes Calestous Juma as saying.

Juma is a pioneer of development in Africa and is with Harvard University and the author of an influential report charting Africa's path towards ending poverty.

"By turning them into science and technology powerhouses, universities can instead produce entrepreneurs and innovators, while businesses can be encouraged to develop the innovative and cutting-edge technologies that form the foundations of industrialisation."

New Scientist reported Juma as saying that modern communication technologies such as teleconferences, e-mail and internet, could turn disenfranchised expatriates into a valuable resource - and that many were desperate to help.

"The development of the semi-conductor industry in Taiwan relied on Taiwanese expats in the US," Juma was quoted as saying.

On electricity supply, the report mentioned that critics of large-scale electricity generating projects, such as the $50bn hydropower plant on the Congo River favoured generating power locally instead.

"Micro-hydro plants on thousands of streams would replace the Congo megaproject," read the report.

"Wind turbines and solar panels could sprout in every town and village; composters that produce biogas could sit in every backyard."

New Scientist further reported that Nigeria had seen swift progress since it launched its first science-based economic policy four years ago, which had at its heart a commitment to building Nigeria's IT infrastructure.

"In that time cellphone ownership has risen from one to 14 million, while eight million people have internet access - eight times as many as in 2001."

The report said Nigeria was also embracing biotechnology, collaborating with internationally renowned institutions and had joined forces with Britain and launched a remote-sensing satellite.

"Next year it plans to launch its first communications satellite in a joint venture with China."

The report read that much of the progress stemmed from a new, more mature approach to international aid money fostered by a fledging democratic process.

Instead of lining the pockets of dictators, "we in parliament are demanding that the government comes before us and explains how it intends to spend the money," New Scientist quoted Usman Bugaje, chair of Nigeria's House of Representatives foreign affairs committee, as saying.

- SAPA