Technology Readiness

　　When looking at China’s 12th Five-Year Plan(2011-15)， we observe that the country has singled outseveral industries， such as new energy resources and biotechnology，and has expressed its aspiration to supportrelated businesses in order to compete on a global scale.It seems that China’s effort has turned out positively insome areas. These efforts were based on unprecedentedgrowth rates for the last three decades， which mightnow be a matter of the past. Yet， meanwhile China hastransformed itself from a country that copies Western andother Asian competitors to one that has the most numberof patent filings worldwide. Based on this experience，China has explicitly emphasized scientific and technologicalcooperation with African countries through the Forumon China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). In this context，a question has arisen concerning whether the Africancountries are ready to take advantage of these opportunitiesand whether this cooperation can bring abouttangible outcomes rather than rhetorical propaganda.

　　Until Chairman Mao’s death， China’s economic interactionwith the outside world was minimal or non-existent，and intellectuals and educated elites were denigrated.It is thus not surprising that China’s economy laggedbehind modern technology during that period. However，the status of China’s science and technology today is insharp contrast. According to UNESCO’s 2011 statistics，the Chinese Government spent 13 percent of its GDP oneducation， and the literacy rate of China’s youth reachednearly 99 percent. Certainly， several problems exist withthe Chinese style of education. Many parents suffer from“education fever，” and this exam-driven phenomenonhas resulted in the “tiger mom” syndrome of overlyambitious parents. In addition， inequality exists betweenthe rural and urban areas in terms of access to qualityeducation. Nevertheless， the government’s continuousefforts to expand facilities and modernize the contentof the Chinese education system will become the basisfor human resource development in China. Along withthe improvements in basic education， strategicand significant expenditures on research anddevelopment (R&D) are noticeable and willlead to the country’s further economicgrowth. Currently， China’s expenditures onR&D make the country the world’s thirdlargestR&D performer， after the United Statesand Japan. Unprecedented support from thegovernment and the increase of private capitalin the technology sector will further contributeto China’s transformation.

　　Science and technology

　　China’s confidence， based on its development experience，is revealed clearly through FOCAC. The series of meetingshas highlighted scientific and technological cooperationand related capacity-building programs， including scholarshipsfor African students， training for professionals in variousfields and the provision of hardware. The pledge canbe closely related to the increasing presence of Chineseinvestment in Africa. The Chinese Government’s supportcan dovetail with the interests of Chinese private investmenton the continent， and bring about a synergisticeffect. Thus far， Chinese investment in Africa has been ledby state-owned companies， and these have been mostprominent in the resource extractive sector. However，Chinese investment has become increasingly diversifiedover the last decade， and the manufacturing and servicesectors have received a great deal of attention fromChinese investors. The manufacturing sector， in particular，is significant for the development of African countries； thissector can generate the jobs most African countries arehoping for， as well as result in a transfer of technology.South Africa’s example

　　There already exists a successful exampleof Chinese investment in the manufacturingsector that can be seen as having potential. Forinstance， home-appliance and electronicsmanufacturer Hisense in South Africa， whichis producing mainly TV-sets and refrigerators.

　　The company built its new factory in theWestern Cape in 2013. One of the greatestadvantages of this investment was to createjobs in an area of greater Cape Town that waslargely impoverished and underprivilegedfor several decades. The company has hiredapproximately 500 workers (during the peak season，there will be more opportunities)， and it is planning toexpand the site. Furthermore， despite the expectationthat workers would simply assemble componentsmade in China， the factory has been involved in theentire manufacturing process from scratch. Chineseengineers are allocated to each team and train localworkers. The Hisense experience is a positive examplethat the Chinese authorities like to point toward. It can，indeed， be an exemplary case of Chinese investmentand its positive implications for local communities.Nevertheless， the factory still relies on R&D from Chinaand its headquarters. When comparing the number ofengineers registered in both China and South Africa，Hisense itself employs around 100，000 engineers. Thisis not that surprising considering that China alreadygraduated 600，000 new engineers per year in the mid-2000s. By contrast， the estimated absolute numberof engineers in South Africa in 2011 was between32，000 and 35，000. The current population of SouthAfrica is approximately 53 million. Considering China’spopulation of 1.3 billion， we cannot simply comparethe number of engineers. Nevertheless， what shouldbe noted is that China has taken concrete steps toencourage enrollments in science， engineering andtechnology and this is a part of its long-term developmentplan.

　　Broad-basededucation acrossAfrica needs toreceive moreinvestment fromChina to facilitatetechnology transferEducation， education， educationChina’s commitment through its cooperation mechanismand private investment is significant for African countries’long-term and sustainable development. There is anotherpromising aspect as well in terms of their engagement withthe Chinese， and that is， African countries can benefit fromChina’s various levels of technology， especially the low-tomidrange levels. This can be a first step for those countrieslacking human resources and facilities to begin to integratehigh technology. The success of any technology transfercan be materialized only when the level of a host country’shuman resources is similar to that of the home country.It is possible to observe that many African countries haveadopted technology and modified it in a creative way. Oneexample is mobile money transactions (M-Pesa) usingmobile phones where a large segment of the populationhas difficulties accessing the Internet through landlines.

　　However， a broad-based education across Africa needs toreceive more investment. Without human resources， thepeople who live in most host countries are able to only assemblethe already-manufactured components from Chinaor elsewhere. Only through investment in education andR&D can these countries successfully transform themselvesand play a part in the global economy.