Dear Colleagues, Well it seems that this particular "chicken-and-egg problem" is rather multi-dimensional. Hence there is need to include, in addition to "crawl, walk, run, fly", some provision for "leap-frog" and indeed even "cheetah-polevault" where that may be possible. In this case, Nigeria's Government has decided to move boldly.
It is an inescapable fact that people in developing countries are going to be receiving training in basic -AND- advanced sciences, either in their home countries or abroad. This is not necessarily from the government's funding, but also from scholarships, private resources, and all kinds of other sources. However, such people will not be able to contribute meaningfully to their own country's development if compelled to live and work abroad where they'll be helping solve the problems of developed countries instead of those of their very own countries. Additionally, one of the key advantages of ICT -- that of the death of distance -- offers opportunities for development activities, training and education, access to capital, etc. that far out-reach anything that would have been imaginable just twenty years ago. In the context of developing countries, this is significant because all too often our populations are spread out thinly across a large geographical area, but are entitled to consistent services wherever they are. They constitute the engine of growth that is being revved up by establishing centres of excellence which will focus on listening to and addressing their needs, by harnessing those technologies that can best deliver the most affordable and sustainable solutions to their problems. Meanwhile, it is also worth remembering that not all of any developing country consists of poverty. Therefore there are also sectors of the economy that are using ICT regularly and would therefore benefit by having access to cheaper services and products of quality if these can be generated locally by having the "best brains" working together. In the case of Nigeria, merely the petroleum extraction industry alone could possibly make this "Technology Village" quite immediately be sustainable. Addressing the issue of the "educational pipeline" from elementary school through to job acquisition (and beyond to entrepreneurship development) is something that must be addressed in parallel with enhancing the provision of service delivery to the needy. Surely no politician anywhere would last for very long if they ever try to convince their constituencies otherwise? In closing, let me take this opportunity to wish all fellow GKD members a Happy New Year! With regards, David Sawe On 12/28/04, Timothy Gilbert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > What is the phrase "crawl, walk, run, fly". It sounds like someone in > Nigeria wants to skip the first three stages and go straight to flying. > On the other hand there is a chicken and egg problem here to mix > metaphors. Why train/educate people in basic sciences if there are no > jobs for them to apply their knowledge and skills? The challenge, it > would seem, is to find an engine consistent with current conditions that > runs on part economic development, infrastructure, training, higher > education, venture capital and government support. Once the engine is > running sufficiently to enable the full life-cycle of elementary > education through job aquisition, it can be revved up to drive down the > path toward a Technology Village. ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
