Summary
In the previous blog, we demonstrated that the absence of a development-oriented mindset is a central reason why sub-Saharan countries, despite their immense potential, have not achieved broad and sustained socio-economic transformation. We further noted that such a mindset is shaped by specific, development-enabling attitudes. In this blog, we examine one of those critical attitudes—one that must be deliberately embedded in policy, education, and institutional practice if science and technology (S&T) are to generate meaningful and scalable impact on local development in sub-Saharan countries.
Introduction
People all over the world have found that the best and most lasting way to develop a country is through science and technology (S&T). Other ways of growing the economy may help for a short time, but they do not last long[1].
Accordingly, many African countries decided to embrace and promote S&T through education, training and research, especially after getting independence. For more than 50 years, they spent a lot of money building schools, universities, research institutions and training scientists. But most of this investment ended up benefiting the ‘global science system’ with limited impact on local development. These countries have not yet seen much benefit in their own communities. The problem is not that they failed to fund science adequately, or that they had too few local scientists.
For example:
- During the oil boom of the 1970s, Nigeria spent a lot of money on S&T. It built research centres, trained many scientists and invested in research. As a consequence, Nigeria’s publications’ output skyrocketed and the country acquired an international reputation. Overtime however, it became clear that Nigeria’s development was not influenced by how well its S&T was progressing [2].
- Similarly, in the 1990s, Ghana changed its education system and ended up producing many students trained in science and science-related disciplines. By 2006, Ghana was producing science workers way above the required critical mass, yet again the achievement barely had any impact on the country’s development[3].
[1] UNESCO 1969
[2]Chatelin, Y., Gaillard, J. Keller, A.S. 1997. The Nigerian scientific Community: the colossus with feet of clay. Sage Publications, New Delhi
[3]Essegbey G. 2006. A science culture is key to Ghana’s development. SciDev.Net
The Problem
The main problem is traceable way back to the pre-colonial era! In the traditional African societies, children learned by watching and doing. This system of education was credited with producing reliable skilled workers such as the medicine men and women, iron smelters, land cultivators, cattle keepers, among others. The system had one outstanding shortcoming though, namely it cultivated and promoted a deep sense of respect for natural conditions and the environment. With time therefore, the harmonious co-existence with Mother Nature became an integral part of African cultures.
Although that harmonious co-existence with nature was helpful in preserving local environment, it undermined the instincts of natural curiosity, imagination and adventurism among Africans. Yet, science grows through curiosity and imagination—by asking questions, testing ideas, and even breaking nature apart in order to ably understand it.
Overtime, while African cultures respected nature, they undermined growth of the right attitude for using science to change and improve life. Léopold Senghor [1], one of the outstanding historians on pre-colonial Africa, stated it this way:
‘Africans did not advance technologically, not because they were primitive, underdeveloped, but because their Distinct Mental Orientation gave them different pursuits and methods.’
The persistent absence of the right attitude toward science-based development has repeatedly weakened efforts to harness science and technology—not only in pre-colonial Africa, but also in the post-independence period, as the experiences of Nigeria and Ghana demonstrate. Without this foundational mindset, the education empowerment of sub Saharan societies through science education, training, and research will remain comparable to a lock without its key—present, but of limited value, as discussed in the previous blog.
Put simply, without this “key,” science cannot translate into locally grounded sustainable development. Its power to transform sub Saharan societies will continue to exist largely in theory, but not in practice!
[1]Senghor L.S. 1995 ‘On Negrohood: Psychology of the African Negro’, in A. Mosley, ed., African Philosophy: Selected Readings. Englewood Cliffs, N. J., Prentice-Hall
Call to Action
Educators, policymakers, and parents all have a role to play in shaping the attitudes that determine whether S&T in Africa truly serve local development. The resources on this site are intentionally designed to nurture curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving in young learners—using storytelling as an accessible entry point into scientific thinking.
We therefore invite schools and education authorities to integrate these resources into learning and leisure spaces, and to support learners in engaging with the complementary materials provided.
By doing so, we can collectively help young people (both science and arts inclined) understand how science can be applied to improve their communities and guide them toward meaningful career pathways through which they can effectively participate in the advancement and application of S&T for national and societal development.
