Understanding technology as a tool to managing another dimension: on third world development.
Introduction
Adopting appropriate technologies leads directly to higher productivity, which is the key to growth. Science and technology are key drivers to development, because technological and scientific revolutions underpin economic advances, improvements in health systems, education and infrastructure. As an engine of growth, the potential of technology is endless and still largely untapped in Africa and other developing world regions across the globe.
According to the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (UN-ITU), by the end of 2010 there were an estimated 5.3 billion mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide, including 940 million subscriptions to 3g services. About 90 percent of the worlds population can access mobile networks, with three-quarters of mobile subscribers living in developing economies. Cellular technology has allowed Africa to leapfrog the age of fixed line telephony, bringing affordable access to millions of people. Through integration of technology, Third World countries will have the opportunity to have a better connection with the rest of the world.
Reasons why we do not feel its importance and what we need to know before implementation
Third World countries struggle in incorporating technology in their policy and culture which leads to an increasing gap with other parts of the world and as a result, people from all over the globe tend to pay less attention to the poor economic conditions of the Third World countries. By avoiding integration of technology, our countries will instead reach economic stagnation, which might later increase poverty and lead to a higher unemployment rate.
Most of Third World and underdeveloped countries do not welcome the influence from the United States and other developed countries due to several political factors. Some Third World countries have the belief that bringing technology will lead to an increase in control and influence by the developed country to be used as a way to take over their nations; putting them at a further disadvantage. It is important to have the people living in Third World countries realize that integrating technologies into their system will be used for their own benefit rather than to harm them.
As the implementation of integrating technology appears to be feasible, various challenges may be encountered along the way that might prevent this strategy. One of the possible challenges is that several people living in Third World Countries do not welcome the influence from the Western World. Most of the citizens will resist these changes and the strategic plan of integrating technology could be negatively perceived. In fact, they find that bringing technology into their countries will be a source of corruption and bad influence to their culture and society. It is really crucial for Western and other developed countries to identify suitable ways to help those countries realize the global benefits they will develop from integrating technology (Sipe-Haesemeyer, 2016). Moreover, a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center on current Internet users in 32 developing countries identified the impact of the Internet. The survey concluded that 42% of the people think that Internet has a bad influence on morality, which is a key principle for people living in Third World Countries (Poushter, 2015). While integrating technology in nations where such cultural heritage is important, various ethical factors must be placed into consideration.
Benefits of the induction of technology as we explore the western world
Economy
Access to financial services can be a path out of poverty, and technology has made great strides in creating economic sustainability. According to the World Bank, the number of unbanked adults dropped by 20 percent from 2011 to 2014, and developing countries had a 13 percentage point increase in account ownership, mainly due to mobile money services.
Electricity
In many developing countries, particularly those in Africa, electricity is a luxury that many cant afford. Projects such as IEEE Smart Village have brought affordable electricity to thousands in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as Haiti by harnessing solar energy to power communities.While technological advancements provide plenty of luxuries and make life easier in developed countries, these same tools are life-saving in developing nations. Engineers have been at the forefront of humanitarian efforts that promote sustainability and growth. As challenges persist, there will be a continuing need for innovative solutions to problems and new technology to transform the lives of the less fortunate.
Technology & Job Creation
In many Third World countries the unemployment rate is found to be very high. Driving technology can decrease the unemployment rate by creating more job opportunities in those countries. During recent years the United States and other developed countries have been using advanced technologies to significantly contribute to their market development and increase productivity, which Third World countries can also benefit from. For instance, a project done in West Africa called e-Ghana has created 1,000 job opportunities from integrating technology. The projects main goals were to develop an electronic tax application and create new jobs for West Africans (Woodman & Long, 2014). Additionally, by integrating technology in Third World countries more IT companies will be able to open and this will lead to an increase in job opportunities. With the support of the technological transformation the benefits will be remarkable and it will build upon local technical skills in the Third World countries. As technology continues to advance, creating a sufficient technological environment in different types of organizations where almost every job today requires a certain degree of advanced IT skills. As a result, technology has been increasing job opportunities across the world (Dobush, 2015). With todays technology and its latest features all of its aspects could be utilized in every industry. The emergence of new services is one of the benefits advanced technologies offers to all different kinds of industries. Today, mobile phones and other computer software make those services accessible for everyone online. Third World countries can benefit from those provided services through advanced technologies in different fields such as agriculture, healthcare, and education. For example, in Kenya a project called e-Warehouse uses mobile phone services to help small farmers store their crops (Dobush, 2015). A variety of industries can be advanced through integrating technology in Third World countries. However, indicating the appropriate technological elements in different organizations will be crucial for Third World countries to reach economic success.
N.B. This article has no intent to bring about structured rebellion but Global Advancement through relationship.
References
Infusing Technology Into Third World Countries. Ahmed Almarzooqi
5 Ways Technology is Transforming Developing Nations. Kevin Howell
Thank you for reading this post, I do hope you read it with a mind of revelation.