Values and Technological Development in an African Context

Technological development as a human episode and achievement is reflective of either an underlying spirit or orientation toward the world. That spirit also communicates the values that people, making strides in technological development, uphold either as central to their identity or as the direction they wish to see life take. In this sense, technological development is not just an aid to life but a reflection of life, its valuing, and commitments to how it is best lived. In some instances, technological development appears to be necessitated by a variety of factors that seem to correlate with social and cultural histories of places at the forefront of these innovations. Africa has not displayed both the spirit and achievement of technological innovation. It has been a haphazard and voracious end consumer of technology as it is randomly brought into African countries. This consumerist status is not only reflective of failure to innovate but is indicative of a spirit that dominates African attitudes to both life and technological innovation itself. If Africa is to keep with the times, there is need to revisit the spirit that dominates the African’s construction of her views and commitments to the world.