Technology, Education and Development - Why Africa is Being Left Behind

Posted by Alex Twinomugisha on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 8:48pm.

I had a startlingly revealing conversation a few weeks ago with a taxi driver in Nairobi. During the course of our conversation, he told me that he used to be an auto mechanic and had quit to become a taxi driver. When I asked him why he quit, he told me that there was no longer any work for small-scale auto mechanics because car technology had advanced. He said, ’since the Kenyan government banned importation of cars older than 8 years old, the local auto mechanic’s business has slowly been wiped out.’ As he explained it, the “newer” cars (made after 2000) have advanced electronics and microprocessors controlling every part of the car. Cars today are in effect computers on wheels and repairing them requires that one have both the advanced electronics and computer knowledge and the right diagnostic (computer-based) equipment. Further, the “newer” imported cars require less frequent repair: for instance, a 6-year old Toyota (the Japanese car make that is predominant in Africa) serviced regularly will run for another 10-15 years before requiring frequent repairs (key word: frequent). The bread and butter of these small-scale mechanics is based on frequent repairs. In the past, Africa’s bad roads, worse drivers and museum quality cars ensured that auto mechanics had a steady stream of panel beating (also known as auto body work in the United States) and suspension system repair jobs. Now even these jobs for the small-scale auto mechanic are far and few in between. New cars cannot be panel beaten- the panels are simply replaced because they are made of plastic or fiberglass. Apparently the roads have gotten better here so replacing shock absorbers and suspension systems is no longer a semi-annual event!

These days, the available repair work involves broken electronics. Unfortunately, these small-scale mechanics lack the skills, knowledge and equipment to diagnose and repair electronic faults. They also lack the capital to purchase diagnostic machines. To make things worse the local Polytechnics and motor vehicle engineering schools are still teaching 1960’s car technology. For example, the engines used for training are carburetor-run. So, the end result is that these Polytechnics and technical schools are simply graduating people that are unemployable. As a result, one of the key features of African cities, the ubiquitous local car repair shop, is on its death bed. This has led to the emergence of large and sophisticated car garages like those of the developed world. These are mostly run by large car dealerships affiliated with major car manufacturers or large Asian businesses who can afford to send employees to China, India and Japan for advanced training and can raise the capital to purchase the right diagnostic equipment. These large repair shops are doing booming business to the detriment of the local small-scale auto mechanic. Of course this development is not bad for the economy: the large repair shops are a source of employment and more importantly contribute directly to the formal economy because they are more likely to pay taxes. The death of the small-scale auto repair shop and the emergence of large well organized and professional auto repair shops is not unique to Kenya. After hearing this story, I called up a few friends in Uganda and Ghana and sure enough they told me they had stopped taking their cars to the local neighborhood repair shop because the auto mechanics could not repair their “newer” cars. It’s the social, political and economic downside to this phenomenon that I’ld like to discuss.

A few days ago, I learnt that the increasing number of unemployed auto repairmen (they are almost all men) is just the tip of the iceberg and that there is a crisis looming. I happened to mention my recent discovery to a government official in one of the African countries who is involved with registering and regulating technical training schools. The government official was well aware of the situation and actually told me that African governments are facing an employment crisis with serious political repercussions if not addressed immediately. Think of any industry today and you realize that they all increasingly rely on modern technology. This includes most of the small-scale industries prevalent in Africa today. Wood working or carpentry, building design, plumbing systems as well as light and heavy manufacturing facilities are all increasingly reliant on computer-aided design and microprocessor based systems for increasing efficiency and quality and reducing costs. Sometimes, we don’t realize how reliant we have become on technology for all facets of our life. For example, we seldom stop think that common household appliances such as radios, televisions, fridges, cookers, air conditioning systems and flat irons are all heavily reliant on microprocessors today. In many African cities, towns and villages, one was likely to find local small-scale repair technicians devoted to repairing these household electronics. They have now been rendered jobless in many cases because they cannot keep up with the technology. Here I have deliberately focused on “traditional” technical fields. But then consider that computers and mobile phones are increasingly becoming a key driver of the economy in many African countries. They are not just an enabler but also an industry in their own right. The growth of mobile phone networks has spawned completely new businesses- from fleet management systems and m-commerce developers to content-development for mobile phones.

Now the looming crisis: the engineering, technical and vocational schools are still teaching 1960’s and 1970’s techniques and technologies. There is a complete mismatch between the knowledge and skills acquired by the graduates from these schools in Africa and those actually required by industry or for self employment. The result is a growing number of unemployable youth and job losses by technical artisans and slower economic growth because industry cannot find the qualified and the skilled employees they need. Those unemployed and unemployable are getting restless. Remember that Africa has the youngest population in the world with many accounts estimating that over half of the population is under 25. This means that most of these unemployable people are the youth who constitute a political time bomb. It is no wonder that many African cities are witnessing growing riots fomented by unemployed youth (according to most news accounts). Fortunately, both governments and private industry in Africa as well as bi-lateral and multi-lateral development agencies seem to be waking up to the impending crisis. Governments across Africa are seriously re-examining the technical education system. Collaboration with industry is growing and more importantly private industry is becoming more vocal on issues of education and employment. Donors are also opening their purse strings with many projects aimed at improving technical and vocational education and training in the works. For many in government, private industry and development, the link between technology, education and socio-economic development is getting clearer. One can only hope that African governments will seize this moment and take practical and urgent steps to address these issues. Otherwise, Africa risks negating recent progress made and being left further behind by the rest of the world.