HIGH TECHNOLOGY : SOLUTION TO AFRICAN COUNTRIES PROBLEM?


Jules Kouatchou
March 1994


Abstract : Problems facing African countries today, suggest different solutions. Among these solutions, many claim that a rapid introduction of high technology (computer, system expert, cellular telephone, satellites, biotechnology, etc.) could cause prosperity and economic growth in Africa. Is it the appropriate solution? The current situation (political, economic, social) in Africa is recalled. The primary goals of high technology and the stage (in a context of development) in which high tech could be considered are defined. Does the environment in Africa match these considerations to reach the objectives of high tech? We attempt to answer these questions. Some propositions are formulated for an efficient introduction of high tech in the process of development in Africa.

An overview of the situation of Africa shows that economically, politically and socially, African countries are very weak. There exists an unprecedented fiscal crisis. This crisis caused in large measure by years of poor administration, unwise spending, and simple disregard of tomorrow. Because of the lack of an economically enabling environment, the natural entrepreneurial instinct and skills of African people have not flourished. Not surprisingly, private investment has all but dried up.
There is no doubt that the development crisis that has engulfed Sub-Saharan Africa is the most difficult facing the international community today. In the 30 years since independence, the region's living standards have declined, and its infrastructure has decayed. Great expectations have been betrayed, leaving Sub-Saharan Africa one of the poorest areas in the world.
But Africa's financial and fiscal problems are only symptoms of much more deep-seated slump whose scale and complexity render Africa unique. The slump embraces the challenges of short-term stabilization and long-term development, of growth and equity, and of basic institutional reform and social stability. These problems lie at the very core of development.

Is this situation irreversible? Many say no of course. Different remedies are offered.

What Solution?

The World Bank for instance proposes that Africa must: "have better governance for development; create sound policy frame works and financial discipline; focus on capacity building, particularly increasing investment in human resource and institutions; develop a sustained approach to long term development" [2]. The World Bank vision considers that the development in Africa is possible through deep reforms (social, political, economical) and can be achieved step by step.
However, some people, to be more simple, propose a quick and a massive introduction (at all levels) of high technology to solve African countries (or developing countries in general) problems, to overtake their scientific and industrial delays [7][8]. For them, basic tasks in education, administration, etc. could be eased with computer systems; villages could break their isolation with radio mobile telecommunication systems; remote sensing data could be analyzed to make agricultural predictions and take urbanization measures; expert systems could be used to take decisions in economy, agriculture, health; biotechnologies could sensitively improve agricultural production; new information technologies could cause the creation of thousands of jobs; etc. Is it the most appropriate answer?

When could we efficiently use high tech?

When high tech is considered, its goal is to ease human work: rapid process and exchange of informations; effective management of time and space; connect people beyond distances; "increase" of productivity. But wherever it is introduced, it comes as an increment to "improve" a pre-existing situation. By pre-existing situation, we mean for instance a minimum organization and expertise, a degree of discipline and responsibility.
In short and long terms, could high tech substantially improve African countries conditions?

High tech: a relevant answer in Africa?

We can again return to African countries problems: poor administration, unstable institutions, bad utilization of natural and human resources, unsteady economy, etc. Is high tech able to solve organizational problems in Africa? Can it help people to come to work on time, teach workers how to work hard, erase corruption, solve ethnic conflicts, give to political authorities the ability to make wise decisions?
Sue Cox writes that "the automation is often seen as the solution to a messy office problem. But automating a mess only creates an automated mess [3]." High tech cannot bring order where there is disorder or cannot "improve" people behavior. Moreover experiences in western countries have shown that when information technology is introduced in a company where there is a problem of organization, this information technology does not solve the problem and does not increase productivity.
The desire to spend a lot of money on high tech 'fix' merely compounds the problem. Far more could be achieved by for example reorganizing institutions (political, social, economical) of a country, changing people attitudes, "redesigning" the structure of the company. Tim Warner says that "automation" is and must always be secondary. He points out that japanese have achieved large increase in productivity through for example, the use of Just-In-Time systems, which does not involve the use of high tech. And there are many other conventional improvements to work organization that should be considered before the use of information technologies [9]."
Since Africa has a lack of human expertise in many domains, could we rely on expert system? Tom Forester, Perry Morrison are very critical at this particular point. They say, "What is the real value of claims by artificial intelligence enthusiast that we need to provide Third World countries with expert system for medical diagnosis, agricultural advice and geological analysis because these countries lack substantial human expertise in such area? Is this yet another techno-fix attempt to fix the symptoms without addressing the causes? ..." [4] Analyzing developing countries present situation, they conclude that the most appropriate line of attack for solving the problems of these countries lies at a non technological level rather than through a computerized technological fix. Different opinions agree that high tech is not the first step for a change in developing countries. In the context of development, the introduction of high tech could have opposite results if previously they (countries) have not established a minimum organization, undertaken political changes or if their citizen are not responsible and discipline at work. The real issue lies on these features. Before tackling the problem of development by looking for "external" solutions, it is fundamental to examine first of all the symptoms of the present situation, to find what kind of measures could be taken to erase these symptoms. Like trees, countries cannot be made to grow by being pulled upward from outside; they must grow from within and from their own roots, setting their own priorities, redesigning their own institutions.

Future perspective

Governmental and non governmental organizations (African and foreign) have been working to solve African problems. We acknowledge their effort and devotion to reach to an atmosphere of prosperity. In a prospective vision, assume that a majority of African countries have undertaken significant changes; there exists an environment of economic growth, of "freedom", no obstacle to intellectual creativity, stable and strong institutions, etc. Suppose that with this new situation, a massive introduction of high tech (we think that it can not be avoided) is chosen to improve living standards and increase African capability of production. We believe it is important to set some remarks for a best unfolding of this process: In other words an introduction of high tech (or transfer of technology in general) must be seen as a social process which involves adjustments of a society's institution to the technology [1]. By short term we mean the immediate "profit" induced by high tech on the economical level (increasing of agricultural exportations, money coming from the utilization of telecommunication system, etc.) leading to a "relative" amelioration of the way of life (new jobs, better health care). If we focus only on this point, we will have no guarantee that the profit will last "indefinitely". It's why it's a prime necessity to consider the long term benefit in the process. The fact to receive high tech must in the future break the permanent dependence of Africa by giving rise to a stable environment of research and development (ability to invent and make the technology). Why give to Africa the opportunity to use high tech today if she is not able to produce (by local industries, research centers) it herself tomorrow. If this aspect is not considered, Africa will stay an everlasting consumer and the situation will remain the same since technology changes very quickly. What is high tech today will probably be obsolete tomorrow. Africans, in the future must therefore update, adapt, modify, redesign technologies to suit their own economical, geographical and cultural environments and other environments too.
Moreover development is a long term process. The impact of high tech in the global economy can only be truly recognized with time. Richard Franke in a study of the beneficial impact of computerization in the financial sector (was among the first to automate its operations) notes that "the adoption of computer technology initially leads to decrease capital productivity and profitability, and it takes time before the necessary changes in work organization can be successfully implemented to take advantage of the new technology ... Only in time, can entreprises adjust to become productive." [5] A similar analysis can be made for a country.
Finally, new technologies cannot only be implemented in sectors which are susceptible of generating foreign currency but also to those that can foster the creation of a real local market. For instance what use are biotechnologies if they are dedicated to agricultural output and that output helps only to pay foreign debt. What purpose is there to an agricultural surplus that goes into the pockets of a political elite or foreign partners.

Conclusions

For a future development of African countries, we need to include food security, basic health care, education for all Africans (beyond basic alphabetization campaigns), full participation for all African people in their development and political processes.
African countries must have stable institutions that can provide a hospitable climate for development. It's important then to organize the society, to make political changes, give to people a working discipline or in other words political, social and economical objectives before any attempt to request high tech to solve organizational and inefficiency problems [6]. In countries, people and not the machines are the most valuable resources and they (countries) can best improve their competitive performance by getting humans and technology working together in harmony. We need to get the people side of the equation right if we want to get the most out of the latest technology. To take most advantage of the resources that are the people, they need freedom to realize individual and collective potential. A. Einstein said: "Every thing that is really great and inspiring is created by individual who can labor in freedom". We believe that it is only in this context that great things can be achieved in Africa by Africans.

REFERENCES

[1] Chasia, H. , Choice of Technology for Rural Telecommunication in Developing Countries. IEEE Transaction on Communications 24, pp 732-736, 1976.
[2] Barber B. Conable, Reflections on Africa. The Priority of Sub-Saharan Africa in Economic Development. The World Bank - Washington DC, March 1991.
[3] Sue Cox, Change and Stress in the Modern Office (Further Education Unit, Department of Education and Science, London, 1986.)
[4] Tom Forester, Perry Morrison. Computer Ethics. The MIT Press 1990.
[5] Richard Franke, Technological revolution and productivity decline : the case of US banks, in Forester, Computer in the Human Context pp 281-90.
[6] Haan H., Alternatives in Industrial Development, New Delhi, Sage, 1988.
[7] Sen A., Employment, Technology and Development, New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 1975.
[8] Stewart F., Technology and Underdevelopment, Londres, MacMillan, 1977.
[9] Timothy N. Warner. Information technology as competitive burden, in Forester, Computers in the Human Context, pp 272-80, reprinted from Sloan Management Review, vol. 29, no. 1, Fall 1987.