OVERCOMING CULTURE AND TRADITION IN THE PROCESS OF TRANSFER OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

摘要

Various technology transfer methods have been applied to enhance and stimulate technical growth in developingrncountries since political independence was achieved in these countries. These efforts were in response to thernawareness in most developing nations of the gap which existed between them and the world’s leading industrialrnpowers.rnEarly transfers were carried out by some of the industrial powers which had once ruled these countries, but they thenrnhad little understanding of the culture and customs of the people from which they were socially and culturallyrndetached during colonial rule. Thus, most of the transfer methods employed and their applications under certainrnconditions were indiscriminate, completely exogenous and inappropriate, giving rise in many cases to social andrncultural conflicts. The paper examines a number of conflict situations in the transfer process in recent time, as wellrnas certain ethical and cultural issues associated with technical change in developing countries. It further analysesrnsome transfer concepts suggested by Sachs(1) and uses his notion of complementarity between Software (OperatingrnSystem), Hardware (Equipment) and Manpower (Skills)(1) to assess the effectiveness of some current transferrnpractices in Africa, particularly highlighting the way in which one such process resulted in building up technicalrncapacity in a local construction company, now a major player in the construction scene in West Africa. Using thernresult of this analysis, the paper develops new strategies for future successful technology transfers in relation to thernauthors own development models(2).