Poor infrastructure blamed for Africa’s slow progress in local innovations

BY MADUABUCHI EFEGADI

Poor state of infrastructure in most African countries is the major cause of the slow pace in advancing indigenously-driven science, technology and innovations (STIs) on the continent, according to Azibaola Robert, founder of Zeetin Engineering, a precision engineering company.

As such, Africa must move up quickly from its current first and second stages to match up with the rest of the world in the fifth and sixth industrial revolutions, he said.

Robert, while receiving an award from the International Institute of Chartered Educational Practitioners (IICEP) for an ‘outstanding performance in innovation, creativity and economic empowerment’, said Africa “must not be a ground for exportation of raw materials only, but also in the production of products that will add value to its economy”.

Although Africa is predicted to receive some $46.1 billion over the next three year to 2025 as smartphones and internet technologies become increasingly accessible on the continent, development experts believe that only a good indigenous infrastructure base would drive the continent’s STI boom.

For example, Africa’s infrastructure financing needs would move up to $170 billion yearly from 2025. Currently, the continent has an estimated funding gap to the tune of $108 billion annually. All these defects have further been exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which further revealed the continent’s need for added infrastructure spending.

Africa-based companies like Robert’s Zeetin Engineering, which is into manufacturing of various heavy-duty metal products, spare-parts, among others needed in the aviation, construction, railway, marine, oil and gas, automotive, and agriculture industries, would be required in the continent’s STI drive.

“Even at this level that we are, we have not shown a high enough level of seriousness. We must begin to be able to manufacture basic fabrication tools to get into the industrial revolution,” Robert, a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, said.

He decried traditional beliefs and practices among Africans that do not engender scientific and technological developments.

“We must emulate countries of the world’s most populous religions–Israel and Saudi Arabia–that have embraced Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to meet most of their needs,” he said.

He urged Nigeria, as the world’s most populous black nation, to set an example for Africa by the use of technology.

The IICEP award was to recognise Robert’s outstanding performance in innovation, creativity and economic empowerment, which Emeka Ikenga-Dennis, IICEP’s registrar and secretary of council, a professor, said would lead to Nigeria developing electric vehicles (EVs).