Ghana, and other third-world countries need to focus their efforts on ENERGY and MANUFACTURING...NOT Information Technology. They need to learn to harness the abundant natural resources of their nations...become self-sufficient, and export PRODUCTS to the rest of the world.
There has never been a better time for these countries to do this. They can build out their industrial infrastructure using the latest Solar, Micro-Reactor, and 3D Printing technologies. They can also deploy the latest aero-ponic technologies to produce food for their people.
I would recommend that they start with Solar Islands in the Gulf of Guinea. Solar is falling in price, and by the time they finish the infrastructure, they should be able to purchase panels for $0.50 per watt. These could be used to power their ports, produce hydrogen fuel, and purify water for coastal cities.
Another African country is building a city from scratch focused on information and communication technology.
Ghana broke ground this week on its $10 billion Hope City project on an empty parcel of land outside the capital city of Accra.
The project’s investors, RLG Communications in partnership with the Ghanaian government, say that the centerpiece of the project will be the tallest tower in Africa, at 885 feet. The city will provide 50,000 jobs and house 25,000 inhabitants with the ambitious goal of “turning Ghana into a knowledge-society and an active player in the global economy.”
The BBC reports that Ghana’s President John Mahama hopes the project spurs more private investment in the country:
“Government has led growth since independence with all the major investments… The time has come for the private sector to take over,” he said at the project’s launch.
“We can see that already in several sectors, including ICT [information, communications and technology] and telecom.”
Earlier this year Kenya began construction on a similar technology city project of its own. The $14.5 billion Konza Technology City will take 20 years to build but is expected to bring 200,000 IT jobs with it. A number of top companies have already shown interest in partnering with the government to fund the city.
Hope City has set the ambitious goal of completing the project within three years.
Ghana’s John Mahama launches Hope City project [BBC]
Photo: RLG Communications
