On the realities of spurring employment via technology – Part IV
The prospect of having technology spur employment has been discussed in previous articles in this series. This final article will suggest a way forward. In the previous articles, I have basically concluded that manufacturing is perhaps the most critical component of the mix of plausible solutions to Nigeria’s acute unemployment problem. Note that approaches that […]
The prospect of having technology spur employment has been discussed in previous articles in this series. This final article will suggest a way forward. In the previous articles, I have basically concluded that manufacturing is perhaps the most critical component of the mix of plausible solutions to Nigeria’s acute unemployment problem. Note that approaches that work for smaller countries like Ghana (population 29.5 million) will not work for Nigeria (population 190 million). So, what should Nigeria do now?
As far as manufacturing is concerned, I think Nigeria needs to follow the path of China and South Korea, not the United States or Western Europe. Although the youths in certain regions of Nigeria are nowadays very confused with respect to culture, intrinsically Nigeria’s culture (for example, the Yorubas and the Hausas) is closer to those in Asia than it is to that in the US or Western Europe. For example, the honorific in South Korea is astonishingly similar to the way that youths and elders relate to each other in the traditional Yoruba culture. And China is not far behind.
With this similarity, the barrier to effective business relationship between Nigeria and China or South Korea, may be relatively lower compared to that between Nigeria and the US or Western Europe. Also, based on personal experience, the Asians seem to respect Black Africans much more than do the white Americans or Europeans. Of course this statement does not imply that all white people hate Black Africans, since that will not be correct, or that there are no ill-treatment of Black Africans by some in Asia. That too will not be correct. I am talking of the typical situation – the status quo, so to speak.
Furthermore, there are a couple of areas where Nigeria has to look up to the West for solution. Aviation is such an area, since the West is so advanced in this area when compared to the Asian countries, plus the fact that Nigeria will not be planning to manufacture aircraft soon. While Nigeria may in future assemble aircraft for American companies, no American airframe or engine company will help Nigeria build aircraft. For a proof of this, just ask China!
Another reason to prefer Asia as a model for Nigeria to follow in developing her manufacturing sector, other than lower cost, is because these countries were in the same boat as Nigeria is now not too long ago. So, the memory is fresh as to the precise path to follow for success in the new era.
The kind of relationship that Nigeria currently has with China, for example, whereby the Nigerian government awards contracts to Chinese companies to build stuff in Nigeria, or the Chinese provides financing for same, is NOT the path to the solution that I envision. Rather Nigeria needs to find answers to the following questions.
(A) How did they do it? This is looking for the precise approach used by South Korea and China to get out of obscurity and make themselves world leaders in manufacturing. The answer to this question requires detailed, conscious, and formal study of the models used by these countries. The Nigerian government should award grants and empower selected Nigerian university professors to do extensive research to answer this equation. Such grants would need to be seriously monitored; with serious, legally-binding accountability requirements, so that the government can obtain useful data that can be acted upon on the conclusion of the studies. The government could give multiple grants with the same objective, to increase competition and also enhance the chances of getting something at the end of the funding period.
(B) What special circumstances exist in Nigeria that would pose challenges? This question is crucial to identifying any intrinsic barriers that Nigeria has, which China or South Korea might not have had when they started developing their technologies in earnest. This could also form part of the objectives for the funded study alluded to above.
(C) How can Nigeria remove the obstacles in (B) above? The obstacles identified in (B) must be prioritized and removed. For example, if electricity supply is identified as the number one “show stopper,” then the country must solve that problem first. If inadequate skill set is an issue, it needs to be resolved. It is at this stage that Nigeria could start working with the South Korean or Chinese experts, to try to contract them to train her people to help remove the obstacles and produce results. In the case of electricity, many countries have been able to solve the problem, so the problem is evidently solvable. Bold and effective leaders with integrity and superb ethical standards are needed at this stage. The bar for accountability should also be very high at this point on the part of both the foreign experts and the local contractors.
As you can see from the foregoing analysis, Nigeria’s problems trace back to the issue of bad leadership, as there is nothing intrinsically wrong with the people.