Message-ID: <199603222151.QAA20230@montreal.aei.ca> Date: Fri, 22 Mar 1996 16:51:13 -0500 From: "Dr. F. Houle" <mailto:fhoule@MONTREAL.AEI.CA> Subject: newsbrief To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>
Call For Integration Of African
Technology
>From Paul Ejime; PANA Staff Correspondent
LAGOS, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria's former science and technology minister,
Bartholomew Nnaji
has blamed africa's poor technological development on a lack of commitment
by the leadership.
Speaking in Lagos Thursday at the second annual 'Zik' lecture series on
nation-building, he
accused the current crop of African leaders of betraying the vision of the
continent's founding
fathers.
Nnaji, who lectured on "Issues in African Development," said African
scientists at home and those
in the diaspora, especially African Americans, should integrate their work
to help develop the
continent.
"Africa now has a large pool of well-practised experts in technology who
can transfer technology to
the continent," he said, adding that foreigners are reluctant to part with
their own knowledge to
benefit Africa.
According to the engineering Professor, Africa's development depends on the
acquisition of a
minimum of scientific knowledge and "its technological transfusion in the
service of its society."
He said African governments could also help technological growth through a
better focus of their
pattern of investment.
The lecturer regretted that rich Africans invested in the service sector
rather than manufacturing
industries. He called for the democratisation of the polity to attract more
foreign capital.
Nnaji is Director of the automation and robotics laboratory at the
department of mechincal and
industrial engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, United States.
The lecture is one in a series organised by the Public Policy Research and
Analysis Centre in
honour of Nigeria's country's first president, Nnamdi Azikiwe, who
celebrated his 91st birthday in
November last year.