Harnessing Domestic Technology and Innovations

Figure 1 - High-Angle Photo of Robot.  Reprinted from Ref [1].

The way early people used to live was made known by historical accounts - striking two rocks together to generate a spark and light a fire for warmth, hunting for game in the deep woods to get their daily meals, or living in the harsh enclosures of caves. The advancement of technology and innovations over the centuries has greatly transformed the way we live. Today, we can travel from one side of the world to the other in a matter of hours. There is no need to strike rocks to generate fire: modern cookers can handle that conveniently. 

Each day presents innovations that make life easier to live. Self-driving cars and pilotless planes, sophisticated smartphones and electric trains, for example, are all products of advancements in technology. However, these smart technologies seem to be concentrated only in a few countries. The least developed countries lack the necessary infrastructures to support technological development. For instance, the majority of the world’s population that lives without electricity resides in the least developed countries: almost two-thirds of the 940 million people globally that have no access to electricity reside in Sub-Saharan Africa [2].  An issue like the lack of access to electricity undermines technological advancement and an overall shift to clean energy. There are several other factors that pose serious challenges to technological advancement in those countries. 

Problems Facing Technological Development

Harnessing domestic technology is included as one of the means of achieving sustainability, according to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 9: “Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure” [2-3]. The benefits of integrating domestic technology cannot be dismissed as a step towards the sustainable development of any society. One of the major hindrances to the advancement of technological innovations in developing countries is the lack of investment in research and development. In 2017, countries in Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa had a gross domestic expenditure on research and development (R&D) of 0.1% and 0.7% respectively [3]. In Africa, digital technology led by incubators, start-ups, tech hubs and data centers has managed to improve in recent years with no support from the government [4]. For instance, at an information and communication technology (ICT) hub in Kenya, a people-tracking application that can trace the spread of infections, Msafari, was developed by FabLab; in Morocco, a similar application named Wiqaytna6 was developed [4]. These are in addition to the several fintech and e-commerce applications that abound in countries like Nigeria and South Africa. However, the large-scale impact, which includes the creation of jobs and increasing earning opportunities, is not catching up with the pace of population growth in these countries. Deficiency in necessities like electricity, adequate skills, and financial inclusion are major contributors to the problem.

Additionally, shortcomings of technological advancement in developing nations are not entirely dependent on increased spending in R&D. The misplaced assumptions that increasing importation of capital goods and securing more direct foreign investment is the only solution to technological backwardness in developing countries have proved abortive. In addition to low investment in R&D, unstable regulations and policies also impede technological advancement [5]. Even as the private sector is making exceptional progress in technological advancement in developing countries, the absence of supporting public policies will hamper that progress to a great extent. According to a 2018 World Economic Forum (WEF) report, 22 of 25 analyzed countries in Africa were lacking public policies that support innovations [6].

The Way Forward

Figure 2 - Team of engineers tests vehicle software. Reprinted from Ref [8].

To address the hurdles facing grassroots technological research and development, there is a need for a linkage between the industry and research institutes. We must synchronize the technological demands of industries to research carried out in those institutions. In an instance detailed by J. Blackledge, the school of chemical engineering of the Federal University of Paraná in Brazil researched how to solve problems associated with semi-commercial pilot plants [7]. The faculty of the school was well equipped to render services like factory guidance, troubleshooting, and related consultations to local industries. Their research focussed on how to modify and design required technology to fit the needs of the local society. Similarly, the same activities were adopted in the Middle East Technical University in Turkey [7]. These institutions entered contracts with relevant industries and government establishments. An example of this research is pilot plant demonstration units that satisfy the aviation needs of the industry. Usually, industrial organizations were unwilling to sponsor research projects, possibly because the projects that were offered to them were more in the area of basic rather than applied research, and the companies were not asked to participate in the definition and design of the projects [7]. While this example is from the 1970s, it goes to show (and remains true) that it is necessary for applied research institutes to be synchronized to the industrial needs in the region through contracts. Increased advancement in localized technology attracts more investments from private institutions, which are welcomed, considering that - in many countries - government funds are not sufficient. Implementing such measures would also help fill the current gap for skilled labor in the research and development field.

Secondly, the presence of accommodating policies will help in the research and development of any society. The government of Rwanda has demonstrated the opportunities for enlightened policies in the country. Targeted investments in digital infrastructure have resulted in 90% of the country’s population having access to broadband internet, and 75% having cell phones [4]. Governments can regulate the importation of foreign technologies to favor the competitiveness of local technologies. A regulation scheme can be strategized to hinder the importation of products that are already manufactured locally and are of good quality. This can be done by systematically increasing the importation levies on those technological importations. Creating an efficient scheme such as this requires detailed cooperation between the government and the industry in that country. 

The post-war period in Japan was an exemplified instance of a coordinated partnership between the government and the industrial sector. After a careful analysis of the export market, the government at the time partnered with the industry to purchase foreign technologies, which were modified and further developed by the Japanese industry. Experts from the government, industry, and universities supervised the cooperation process through an advisory committee of the Ministry of International Trade and provided the market analysis [9]. If it gets adopted by the least developed nations, this system of creative imitation will be very productive in making SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure a reality. Creative imitation is a proven strategy for developing nations to catch up with the trend in technological growth, and is advantageous because it reduces the risk of failure and the waste of industrial resources [10].

Conclusion

Advancements in technology, industrialization and innovations are essential aspects of living a quality life, they cannot be achieved without accommodating policies to support the process. This requires a series of actions and schemes in the background to make the advancements come true. Lagging research and development in the least developed countries is due to two main reasons: cost and lack of demand. However, these issues don’t come without solutions. Linking the industry with the research institutes will create an avenue for the necessary technological growth needed in those countries. Additionally, backing it up with relevant policies and regulations to coordinate the importation of local products, and initiating creative imitation, will also be effective in the technological transformation. When all these strategies are carefully carried out, there is a high tendency that technological growth will be inevitable.

References

[1] A. Knight, “High-Angled Photo of Robot,” Pexels, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.pexels.com/photo/high-angle-photo-of-robot-2599244/

[2] H. Ritchie and M. Roser, "Access to Energy," Our World in Data, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://ourworldindata.org/energy-access. [Accessed 13 May 2021].

[3] UNESCO Institute for Statistics, "Global Investments in R&D," UNESCO, 2020. [Online]. Available: http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/fs59-global-investments-rd-2020-en.pdf. [Accessed 22 August 2020].

[4] C. Duarte, "Africa Goes Digital," International Monetary Fund, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2021/03/africas-digital-future-after-COVID19-duarte.htm. [Accessed 8 August 2021].

[5] F. ‘Utoikamanu, "Closing the Technology Gap in Least Developed Countries," United Nations, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/closing-technology-gap-least-developed-countries. [Accessed 8 August 2021].

[6] K. Jayaram, K. Leiby, A. Leke, A. Ooko-Ombaka, and Y. Sunny Sun, "Reopening and reimagining Africa," McKinsey & Company, May 29, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/middle-east-and-africa/reopening-and-reimagining-africa. [Accessed 20 August 2021].

[7] D. Crane, "Technological innovation in developing countries: a review of the literature," Research Policy, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 374-395, 1977. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/0048-7333(77)90013-0.

[8] ThisIsEngineering RAEng, “Female Electronics Engineer Tests Vehicle Software With Team,” Unsplash, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://unsplash.com/photos/bIltCMXIwRE/info

[9] K. Oshima, "Research and Development and Economic Growth in Japan," Science and Technology in Economic Growth, pp. 310-334, 1973. Available: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-01731-7_12.

[10] K. Loukil, "Technological Development in Developing Countries: A Process of Imitation and R & D," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 9, no. 11, pp. 431–436, 2019. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v9-i11/6560.