Valuing knowledge through a culture of sharing

President Zuma highlighted as priority for the country.
According to dictionary definition, it could also mean just the production and management of knowledge. Or as per the World Bank definition, it could also mean having a sound institutional and economic regime, education system, telecommunications infrastructure, and a free flow of technology and information among people, enterprises and institutions.
The theme is in line with that of the 20th Anniversary of the continental institution, the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), which closed its celebrations on 8 February, 2012 at a venue here in Harare. Its theme, “The Future of Africa is Now! The Critical Role of Capacity Development”, draws the attention of the continent’s leadership to the challenges of capacity and the importance of adopting innovative solutions.
It also aims to promote peer learning and experience sharing on the continent, among its other objectives.
Hess and Ostrom (2007), state that “knowledge is assimilated information and the understanding of how to use it. An essential component of this is that the quantity of knowledge does not diminish with use, but rather it increases its value as more and more people use it. This means that unless knowledge is shared and utilised it remains raw.”
Africa has among its vast raw natural resources, immeasurable knowledge and wisdom within its people. The continent has produced many graduates, post graduates, doctors, technicians etc. Outside the formal education systems, there are traditional doctors, traditional story tellers, artists etc.
Just as we marvel at the fact that the continent is economically deprived, despite stocks of minerals and land, it is also worth questioning why the continent is today capacity constrained, in spite of millions of educated and trained Africans.
Where are these educated men and women? The picturesque of Africa is that of poor and uneducated Africans, one could say the most hardworking people on earth. They are seen on the markets and on the street selling merchandise. We see women and children toiling away in villages, carrying loads of firewood, and buckets of water, sometimes panning for gold or crushing stones. Where is the picture of African intellectuals?
Many ask, are the African engineers so imperceptive that they can not invent simple water filters or something for the gold panners? Throughout years of independence, have African institutions failed to produce scientists or engineers who can make simple small machines for mass use in villages?
Why is the use of solar energy taking so long to become mainstream and replace the hydroelectricity which is proving costly?
All those research findings and dissertation papers produced through the numerous MBAs and PhDs, where are they? Are these not the ideas and theories that should form the basis of knowledge and shared to become our countries’ treasures?
It was Winston Churchill who said if you have knowledge, let others light their candles with it. This follows Paul’s warning in his first book to the Corinthians that knowledge puffs up but love, which is characterised by sharing, edifies. Knowledge must be shared in order to create value.
Dr Simba Makoni, one of the founders of ACBF highlighted three areas some of which could point towards this knowledge and capacity complex. First is the inability to trust our abilities. We have seen people and establishments on the African continent, all too often trust foreign knowledge more than its own.
One ” Bwana (White man)” said “As long as you are dependent on my plane, I shall feel superior and you my friend (African) shall remain inferior, how about that?”
Even though this “Bwana” was from the USA, the Chinese, Japanese, Indians, even Latinos, by virtue of our inferiority complex, always believe that they are a notch better than Africans. It goes without saying that even foreign languages of English and French determine whether or not an African is good enough for a task, not in England, not in France, but here in Africa.
In that lack of trust, also comes fear in celebrating and employing other people’s knowledge skills. Many are intimidated with other people’s knowledge and abilities. This is largely because; most on the continent acquire education, to secure a job and a livelihood.
And so a few professionals on the continent actually do what they are called and are passionate to do, resulting in lack of confidence and fear of losing one’s livelihood. Perhaps, this comes from the educational tradition, which discouraged copying and sharing of knowledge, unlike others such as the Japanese who openly share knowledge and are competitive about value addition.
Secondly, deployment of capacity skills is haphazard on the continent. Government institutions in advanced economies retain the cream of their intellectuals. Our continent, generously donates our intellectuals to international development agencies and even frustrates them out of the continent to the diaspora.
Is it the lack of resilience on the part of individuals, or is it lack of foresight on the part of African governments? How is it that our governments are comfortable to repay foreign debts in billions of dollars, but reluctant to pay medical doctors or other professionals, a few millions to retain local knowledge? Worse still, lots of money is spent on seeking health services and education on other continents and local African health and educational institutions are left to decay?
The INSEAD Business School website cites one country which had a background similar to that of Africa, but is now working its way out. Faced with a small local workforce and the need to diversify its economy, Abu Dhabi is revamping its entire education system and fulfiling its desire to be recognised as a regional academic powerhouse.
It is reported that, fifty years ago, Abu Dhabi students were taught by local mullahs, in schools made of palm fronds, without textbooks, running water or sanitation. School hours were haphazard and the Koran formed the base for all lessons.
Half a century on, the sophisticated oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates has set its goal to become a diverse, knowledge-based economy and a centre for academic excellence in the Middle East’s Gulf region. Through careful planning and enormous government funding, including an allocation of AED9.8 billion (some €2 billion) in the 2010 national budget, the UAE is overhauling its entire education system.
The 10-year strategy is introducing thinking into the curriculum from an early age and taking a unique, vocational view to higher education by aligning universities and colleges with new workforce requirements.
People need to be trained to think for innovation and development. The old systems that taught Africans to think as providers of service must be done away with. Abundance comes from the acknowledgement of what we already have and being willing to give it away, in expectation of more.
Jesus teaches that “For to the one who has, much will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Knowledge creation and capacity development must start by affirming that which is in our midst. See the abundance provided by the sun and think solar production; see abundance in the fauna and flora and think manufacture medicines. The primary purpose of development being to solve local problems first, then export.
A legacy that President Mugabe has bequeathed to this country and Africa is passion for education and knowledge. His mantra since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, “it is better to have an educated unemployed, than an employed uneducated” underscores that the future of Africa is in knowledge and our ability to share and utilise it.
Men and women must now utilise current education, shared knowledge, critical thinking and related capacity building blocks, to draw out the necessary entrepreneurial essence. It is this spirit which will provide developmental solutions to the continent, through innovation and move away from bread crumbs.