Management of technology in Ghana – problems & prospects

Despite the immense progress that has been made throughout the world in improving the quality of life through applications of technology, large proportions of the peoples of Africa still leave on less than $1.00 per day income. The seven most industrialised democracies of the world, without major resources, except in few cases, import minerals and other industrial and agricultural raw materials and process them through well managed technologies to produce virtually everything around us. On the other hand, Africa, with the largest mineral reserves, in many cases, and the largest biomass potential but without any significant knowledge in how to manage technology, contributes less than 2% of world industrial output and generates very poor gross domestic products. To reverse this trend, African countries must build innovation-based economies using well-managed technologies. This will stimulate industrialization and increase wealth. Proper Management of Technology presents both practical and policy challenges. This paper describes the Ghanaian experience and illustrates the key elements necessary for proper management of Technology in the third world. It also describes the essentials needed for integrating technology into society in an effective, sustainable way so that peoples of Africa can put technology to use to improve their lives.