Factors Affecting Technological Growth Nigeria
INTRODUCTION
The word “technology” encompasses essentially three meanings: tools and instruments to enhance human ability to shape nature and solve problems (such as a hammer and nail), knowledge of how to create things or how to solve problems (such as to brew beer or to make an atomic bomb), and culture (our understanding of the world, our value-systems). Historically, the emergence of human civilization has been closely connected to the development of tools for hunting, agriculture, irrigation and water management, and navigation. In the second meaning, knowledge, technology becomes reflexive in that understanding of how to make and use tools and instruments becomes encoded and transmissible as technological knowledge and know-how. Related to this second meaning of technology is the development of modern scientific knowledge, based on empirical observations, hypotheses, and generalizations on the natural laws concerning the behavior of materials and the living environment.
In the third sense, culture, technology has permeated society to such an extent that separation between technology and culture is no longer meaningful. All human activities, like housing, nutrition, transportation, work, leisure, even art and imagination, become heavily enmeshed with technology. We “own” products of technology by a process of “cultural appropriation”, in which the use of technologies is learned, interpreted, and given meaning in everyday life. We are living in a “culture technique” in the sense that our deepest and most private knowledge and emotions are permeated by technology.
Factors Affecting Technological Growth Nigeria
VISIONS OF TECHNOLOGY IN A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPING SOCIETY
Technology plays a significant role. These visions are not based on technological forecasting, but rather take into account the possibilities that modern and future technologies offer if they are steered in the “right” direction. The “right direction” is of course not a priori. Its elements will be a “good life” and “well-being” for all now and in the future, sustaining the Earth’s ecosystem, banning poverty and related health and housing issues, a sustainable agricultural and food system, and employment and leisure for all. Technologies could help achieve that, if actively directed by the right drivers, institutions, and steering mechanisms. In the next and final part of this essay, we will further explore questions about “how to get there” and what mechanisms might help society develop the “right” technologies. Here we concentrate on three broad areas, energy, health, and agriculture, all of which are crucial for sustainable development and to which technology could contribute significantly.
PPRAISAL OF EVOLUTION OF S&T IN NIGERIA
Scientific institutions in Nigeria emerged during the colonial period particularly around mid-1960s, during which National Research Council was established. It is pertinent to note that the current S&T capability was built between the late 1960s and the 1980s, a period characterized by military rule in Nigeria. During this period, there was growing concern of some military and civilian authorities to build up the country’s S&T competence as part of a broader project of national growth and self-sufficiency. The concern to build up scientific, technological and industrial self-sufficiency within this period however, did not receive the desired support in the productive sector. Consequently, it remained for the most part, restricted to special segments of the state bureaucracy and the academia. For most firms, including the multinationals and state-owned corporations, the origin of technologies used in their production activities was immaterial than their cost and reliability. Furthermore, there was little or no understanding of the effective mechanisms and policies leading to technological innovation in the productive sector. Also, the need to strengthen Nigeria’s basic technological infrastructure, metrology, normalization, quality control and certification received minor attention. The main initiatives taken to date include the following: Educational reforms of the early seventies with emphasis on science and technical education, the integration of science and technology under the national economic policy, the creation of institutional frameworks for science and technology such as Federal Ministry for Science and Technology, the establishment of a few centres for research and development, the formulation of National Science and Technology policy.
SOCIETAL CONSEQUENCES OF TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS
Seventeenth-century thinkers such as Descartes and Bacon thought that science and technology unlocked the keys to mankind’s mastery over nature, which they saw as synonymous with human progress. Since the Enlightenment, the development of modern science and technology has been associated with the triumph of reason and science over superstition and religion. Knowledge based on empirical observations and rational thinking has been the basis on which technological innovation has thrived. Modernization and modernity have been synonymous with technological innovation. The idea that science reflects reality or even absolute truth has been challenged in many ways, from critics of its reductionism to critics who emphasize that scientific facts are as much socially constructed as a reflection of natural laws (Latour and Woolgar, 1979). In The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, in which he argued that theories and facts have only meaning within a dominant “paradigm”, Kuhn (1962) laid the groundwork for challenging logical positivism. Latour and Woolgar (1979) followed by showing in an anthropological study of the modern scientific lab, how scientific facts are “socially constructed” through interpretations by scientists of scientific measurements.
FACTORS AFFECTING TECHNOLOGICAL GROWTH NIGERIA
Recognizing issues that are responsible for the problem of technological growth is strategic to attainment of technological emancipation Nigeria deserves. The factors affecting Nigeria’s technological growth can be grouped into two, namely, internal and external factors.
Industrial Policies after Independence
The Nigeria industrial policies after independence were not vision oriented. For instance, the major industrial policy that Nigeria embarked upon after independence was import substitution industrial (ISI) policy.
Non Involvement of Engineers in Technological Decision Making
Science and technology researches require the technocrats who have the technical knowhow. Government and decision makers take technological decisions without consulting Nigerian engineers and technologists (through the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE) who are the key players in the field of engineering and posses the experience and technical knowhow to contribute towards the effectiveness of any technological developmental decision.
Negative Influence Posed by Our Colonial Masters
The British came to Nigeria among other reason, for economic reason- as a ready market for their sprits, guns, mirrors and other goods. Before the advent of colonialism Nigerians were involved in many aspects of industrial and practical arts. They made their own homes and other implements for farming, etc.
Relegation of Indigenous Knowledge
The advent of modern technology is largely thought by many agricultural experts to have impeded the development of local and indigenous knowledge in the fields of agriculture in Nigeria.
Factors Affecting Technological Growth Nigeria
Wrong Philosophy of Western Education
Western education is the main and proper channel for technological emancipation provided it is built on appropriate philosophy of education. The philosophy of Nigerian education during the colonial period was built on the wrong philosophy as can be confirmed by the statements of Lord Lugard and Rev.
Conflicting Interest in Transfer of Technology
While the receiver wants technology to bring independence, modernity, and prosperity, the donors do not want receivers to be lifted up but only want to create supplies of what they need and maintain markets for what they produce. For instance some countries did not want Nigeria to have steel mills so as to make Nigeria a dumping ground for steel products.
Selfishness in Controlling Transfer of Technology
Technology is usually kept as a preserved property of the donor and thus the exclusive control is vested in them. The donors determine how far and how much the receiver can use the technology by retaining production of spare parts and other components. The technology can only be viable as long as it serves the goal of the donors with little or no concern for the receiver.
TECHNOLOGICAL FORECASTING ON A DEVELOPING NATION AND ITS PITFALLS
Forecasting the development of innovative, especially entirely new technologies is, of course, very difficult. The history of past efforts is full of false predictions and disappointments. Some of the most impressive technological developments, like the personal computer and the Internet, were not anticipated by anyone. Most forecasts turn out to be too optimistic about the short-term introduction and too conservative about the societal consequences in the long term. Technological forecasting has developed into a scientific discipline of its own, with distinctive methodologies such as scenario building and Delphi studies (based on questioning experts), trend extrapolation, and system dynamics. The motivations and goals of technological forecasting are quite divergent: they range from fundraising for present R&D projects by raising expectations about future benign (Lente, 1993) to the stimulation of a broad societal debate about unwanted consequences of new technologies.
Factors Affecting Technological Growth Nigeria
CONCLUSION
We have tried to show that social helms manship of technological innovation in the direction of sustainability is a very challenging task and to suggest what is required to take it on. It calls for changes in attitude in the scientific community, increased awareness in the general population, the development of better methods of monitoring and forecasting in academia and government, and, most importantly, more value placed on ethics and social responsibility. It calls, above all, for changes in the forces that drive scientific and technological innovations the funding systems, the military and business interests, and consumers. It calls for greater transparency of scientific and technological enterprises, enabling societal actors to better monitor, assess, forecast, and influence developments at an early stage.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE WAY FORWARD FOR TECHNOLOGICAL GROWTH IN NIGERIA
The following recommendations provide the way forward for the technological growth of this nation Nigeria.
- Copying Items in the Market
The idea is to buy and knock down products of interest in the workshops, study and analyze each component in the laboratories or workshops developed intentionally for component analysis and for building prototypes of items to be produced.
- Selfless, Determined and Visionary Leadership
For Nigeria to be technologically developed there must be a leader who is sincere, vision oriented, focused and has Nigeria at heart and devoid of political sycophancy as common with our leaders but with passion for performance.
- Revamp the Steel Industry
For Nigeria to realize the goal of vision 20: 2020 there is need to revamp steel industries and this will have a positive impact in its economy, thereby creating employment for her citizenry.
- Increase Funding for Our Research and
Development Institutes to reverse the trend of technological backwardness, Nigeria has to learn from other countries who allocate high percentage of their GDP for research and development (R&D
Conflicting Interest in Transfer of Technology
While the receiver wants technology to bring independence, modernity, and prosperity, the donors do not want receivers to be lifted up but only want to create supplies of what they need and maintain markets for what they produce.
REFERENCES
Kahn, A. B (2008). Repositioning the Nigerian Economy through Scientific and Technological Innovations. Africa; Journal of Contemporary Issues, 6: 1-8.
Latour, V. O. and Woolga P. S. O (1979). Technology and Development in Nigeria: The Missing Link.
