Master’s Thesis in Industrial Economics spring 2016 Norwegian university of Life Sciences Department of Mathematical Sciences and Technology Technology and knowledge transfer in Nigeria – the possibilities, challenges and requirements Teknologi og kunnskapsoverføring i Nigeria - mulighetene, utfordringene og kravene Ema David Industrial Economics Technology and knowledge transfer in Nigeria – the possibilities, challenges and requirements by Ema David Master’s Thesis in Industrial Economics spring 2016 Norwegian university of Life Sciences Department of Mathematical Sciences and Technology Master Thesis Spring 2016 1 Ema David Foreword and Aknowledgements This is my master thesis in Industrial economics, and the final step in my study for the five-year university degree; Master in Technology at The Norwegian University. The project work has been carried out at the Department of mathematical sciences and technology, where I have chosen to specialize in mechanical engineering, product development and economy. As an individual that grew up in Nigeria and as a witness to the challenges facing Nigeria as an “independent nation”, I feel the great need to clarify the various areas and activities that hinders the advancement of progressive development in the country and thereby give some suggestions and recommendations on what to do to improve the situation. I attended primary and secondary school in Nigeria and I experienced the suppression and favoritism meted to selected regions in educational system through “quota system”. I also witnessed the corruptive activities in the Nigerian democracy, the inhibition of free and fair elections, the activities of the politicians forcing themselves in power through favorable manipulative elective processes, media restrictions through constitutional laws and the corruptive policies from the democratic rulers to divert all the revenues to themselves. I am motivated by how the Norwegian government maximizes the effectivity of human resource utilization. Norway, a very small country in contrast to Nigeria in terms of human population, utilizes its human resources very effectively and do not depend on the oil. If Norway can achieve so much with just a population of less than 6 million, imagine what Nigeria can achieve with a huge population of about 180 million people. My motivation is also based on my observation of the essence and benefit of job creation in Norway. I realized by living in Norway that one of the biggest investment one can make is investing in human resources through the provision of good educational system and job opportunities. This becomes a life cycle where the government invests on its people and then gets returns by taxation and developments. I am also motivated by the humility of Norwegians in general. I once took a tram with a former Norwegian Prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik from National Theatre to Majorstua. I was highly overwhelmed to see a former Prime Minister sitting side by side with me in a tram. This never happens in Nigeria, rather Nigerian former presidents ride on private jets and expensive cars with entourages at the expense of the national revenues even after they are no longer in offices. I am further motivated by how easy life can be with good, reliable and well-functioning infrastructures. The Norwegian school system is good. Not only that it is free for everyone, but the quota system does not suppress or discriminate people, but it encourages all to be involved. I wish to extend my gratitude to the Associate Professor Jan Kåre Boe, who gave me the insight and the support that I needed in making this project a reality. Even when I was undecided on what to write, he stood patiently and solidly behind me and encouraged me to use my inspirations and experiences from my past Nigerian background to increase knowledge of the region of Africa and lay foundations for further studies and decisions in collaboration with the existing governments. Aas, May 15th 2016 Ema David Master Thesis Spring 2016 2 Ema David Abstract Technology transfer should be an act of transferring technology through knowledge, facilities and better managements that can enhance economic growth to the recipients. The role should be establishing strategies that will boost industrial and technological development to the recipient countries. Through the strategies, the recipients can utilize their natural and human resources effectively through technology implementations. The word technology transfer for the developed countries is an act of helping the recipient countries to gain better technological infrastructures to improve their standard of living. Though technology transfer is applicable to the LDCs and DCs, the developed countries have indulged in this within themselves for a very long time with remarkable results. With the establishment of effective technology transfer on the ground, it can pave ways for increase in skills and job creations which in turn can increase labor forces and then finally the economic growth of the recipients. Technology can be transferred directly by the contraction of the individual experts and consultant companies where those transferring the technology are engaged in engineering designs and plant construction enterprises, training nationals for specific production projects, technical information activities, and transferring of the technology that is embodied in capital goods by the importation of equipment that are purchased directly from machine manufactures. Therefore, by doing so, the advancement of the technological capabilities will be finally achieved through the adaptation, importation and utilization of the foreign technology. The background of this project is based on the imbalance between the LDCs, DCs and the developed countries. The result of this imbalance can be seen in Security issues which the world is trying to address in wrong ways. The strategies, the policies and the practices that are devised to continue the dominance over the other gives no anticipated result for the peace and tranquility the world desires, but on the contrary, it makes things worse and the world face the most security problems they have never had in many centuries. The current exodus of the masses from the LDCs and DCs is a great concern and needs to be addressed. The situation in these countries gives rise to the exploitation of these masses both by their own people and also some people from the developed countries. The masses become a target for human trafficking, hard labor and terrorist tools. The fact is that people who are used are the poor masses who do not have reasons to live. Those that brainwash them use their vulnerable circumstances to mount pressure on them and make them become a menace to the society. The influence of the developed and the rich countries towards the LDCs and DCs is also a major threat to the global unity and can also be abated through genuine and functional technology transfer. The issues to be addressed is the inability of Nigeria and the other African countries to address their underdevelopment and unprogressive issues due to corruption and dependency on the developed countries for monetary aids. Due to this dependency, African countries lack good functioning and reliable infrastructures; no good roads and railways, no reliable electricity and no reliable communication system African health system is nothing to write home about and the educational system is far below standard. The cultural diversities which supposed to be a blessing becomes a means of Master Thesis Spring 2016 3 Ema David discrimination which is a very big hindrance to the development of the continent. The others issues are the external issues from the developed countries like the immigration policies, the organizations that works to suppress the development of the continent. Until these issues are well addressed, the African continent will always be in the dark and as long as they remain in the dark, they will always create problems for the developed countries because Africans are already exposed to the good lives of the developed countries. Immigration problem is also an issue of concern. The Europeans migrated to the many countries in Africa including Nigeria when they had need for their natural resources. They called it colonial era. Some of them never went back. USA, Australia and South Africa are examples of places where Europeans migrated to and never returned back to their place of origin. While the Europeans killed some of the habitants of the places where they migrated to, Nigerians and other African countries migrate to Europe to work. If there is no genuine technology transfer to the needed areas, the masses from the affected areas will always have the need to emigrate to better places. The developed countries feel that they will lose their power, influence and dominance if the less developed countries become significant as the them. The main aim of this project is to point out those areas that needed changes and then give recommendations on what can be done to get an effective result. Those areas include channeling the monetary aids into knowledge and skills for an effective technology transfer, joining force in fighting corruption and drawing potential investors to Nigeria to invest in Agriculture. The project is presented by the use of historical events, analysis of the current and past events, researches, argumentative and statistical illustrations that supports the theoretical facts of the project. To analyze the events, tables, figures and pictures are used to clarify the importance of the necessary changes in Nigeria and other African countries at large with due considerations of the motives, the causes, and the driving forces of every activity that brought Nigeria and other African countries into the erratic situations they have faced and are still facing today. My recommendations include channeling the monetary aids into technology transfer through skills and knowledge, better policies that helps to abate corruption and not policies that promotes and suppresses economic growth and technological advancements to the recipients.