Ethnographic Study to Understand the Culture of Technology Manufacturing in Ghana

Authors

Yao-Martin Donani, University of NottinghamFollow

Abstract

Sub-Saharan African countries are characterized by low or absent technological growth. Scholars and the international community have endeavored to solve the long-standing problem, but none of these have produced the expected growth. While the rest of the world is advancing rapidly, Africa is noticeably lagging, even in comparison to other developing regions. It is apparent that previous international strategies cannot solve Africa’s technological underdevelopment This study argues that a solution to the problem depends on Africans, who must choose to want a solution and work towards it. An ethnographic study was therefore conducted to investigate the attitudes and worldview of the Ghanaian society towards technology underdevelopment. The study covers both the rural, traditional and urban, modern Ghana.

The study, among other things, revealed that the traditional sector is rich in inherited indigenous technology manufacturing, but the methods of production, and therefore, the technologies themselves, have been left undeveloped. The urban/rural divide inhibits positive cultural exchanges and knowledge sharing, thus, limiting the proliferation of indigenous technologies across the different cultures. Urban Ghana, where national policies are drawn, provides no framework for dialogue and participation for indigenous technology development.

Recommended Citation

Donani, Yao-Martin (2015) "Ethnographic Study to Understand the Culture of Technology Manufacturing in Ghana," International Journal of African Development: Vol. 2: Iss. 2, Article 6.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/ijad/vol2/iss2/6