Transit into knowledge based economy

Lazarus Sauti

World economies are increasingly based on knowledge and information. This means knowledge is now recognised as the driver of productivity and economic growth, leading to a new focus on the role of information, technology and learning in economic performance.

This is why recently the African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Dr Elham Ibrahim urges African countries to transit into knowledge based economies.

Dr. Ibrahim believes that that the switch from agricultural based economies to knowledge based societies will allow African countries to reduce the current high poverty levels.

“One of the targets of the African Union is for the continent to make the transition to a knowledge based society, so that all citizens have access to equal education and employment opportunities,” says Dr. Ibrahim.

 “Broadband has the power to revolutionise education, no matter where the student is based,” she said, adding, “ICT has already enabled Africa to make socio economic leaps but it is still in the early stages of harnessing its full potential.”

Accordingly, Zimbabwe like any other African country should embrace Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to effectively switch from agriculture based economy into a knowledge based society.

This will help the country to uneasy unemployment pressure. More so, the move will force Zimbabweans to acquire more skills since employment in the knowledge-based economy is characterised by increasing demand for more highly-skilled workers.

“Changes in technology, and particularly the advent of modern technologies, are making educated and skilled labour more valuable. Thus a switch into a knowledge based economy will provide Zimbabwe with a huge human capital base,” notes Collence Chisita, a researcher.

This is also means government policies will need more stress on upgrading human capital through promoting access to a range of skills, and especially the capacity to learn; enhancing the knowledge distribution power of the economy through collaborative networks and the diffusion of technology; and providing the enabling conditions for organisational change at the firm level to maximise the benefits of technology for productivity.

The field of science and technology will benefit immensely if the country transmit into a knowledge based economy since a country’s science system takes on increased importance in a knowledge-based economy.

Chisita says, “Research laboratories, institutions of higher education and development institutions are at the core of the science system, which more broadly includes government science ministries and research councils.”

It is critical to note that in the knowledge-based economy, the science system contributes to knowledge production – developing and providing new knowledge; knowledge transmission – educating and developing human resources; and knowledge transfer – disseminating knowledge and providing inputs to problem solving.

Furthermore, in the knowledge-based economy, innovation is driven by the interaction of producers and users in the exchange of both codified and tacit knowledge.

Accordingly, for the country to effectively transit into a knowledge based economy, policy decision makers in the science and technology sector need to understand the role of knowledge and technology in driving productivity and economic growth.

This means that science and technology policies should be formulated to maximise performance and well-being in “knowledge-based economies” – economies which are directly based on the production, distribution and use of knowledge and information.

More so, to effectively embrace a knowledge based economy, the government should investment directly to high-technology goods and services, particularly information and communications technologies.

Frankly, computers and related equipment are the fastest-growing component of tangible investment.

Equally important are more intangible investments in research and development, the training of the labour force, computer software and technical expertise.

Conversely, as knowledge cannot be understood without culture, research on the interface between vernacular and scientific knowledge must be developed in the country and also access to knowledge should be considered as a right and should be protected from short-term industrial interests limiting this access.

More so, there must be a continuous dialogue between society and science, thus promoting scientific literacy and enhancing the advising role of science and scholarship.

Chisita also believes that gender equality is critical if the country is to fully transit into a knowledge based economy.

“Barriers that prevent more women from choosing science careers and reaching top positions should be overcome. This means also that the young generation’s interest in science and commitment to the knowledge-led future of their countries should be stimulated by introducing innovative teaching methods, and by changing the image of the scientist,” Chisita says.

The media has a bigger role to play in stimulating interest on areas to do with innovation, science and technology.

For Zimbabwe to successfully integrate modern technologies and sustainable development in order to participate in the knowledge economy, the country needs to intervene collectively and strategically.

This collective intervention should take in the development of effective national information and communication technology policies that support and promote the use of modern technologies for national development.