THE TECHNOLOGICAL AND EDUCATIONAL LAG IN AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The technological and educational lag in Africa and Latin America is the stagnation suffered by some countries or societies in relation to the management of new information and communication technologies. This phenomenon occurs quite frequently in developing or underdeveloped countries, mainly belonging to Africa and Latin America.

This phenomenon responds, among other factors, to the difficulty for the implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), given the complexity of its political and social contexts.

The technological and educational lag in Africa and Latin America is linked to the deficient implementation of Information and Communication Technologies. Source: pixabay.com

Thanks to globalization, many countries have had to open up to new communication methods; however, in many cases some nations are unable to adapt to the most advanced technologies, which causes a series of crises in different social, political and economic spheres.

For example, in the business sphere, local markets are limited by the technological development of foreign companies. Juan Oliver, in his article The problem of the technological backwardness of industrial microenterprises, indicates that these industries do not enjoy the advantages of globalization, but suffer the disadvantages of it.

On the other hand, educational lag is related to the outdated way in which institutions impart knowledge and information. In developed countries, information is transmitted through very advanced tools and infrastructures, and in less developed countries the chairs have a traditional and obsolete scheme.

In addition, the technological and educational lag also refers to the disability that some citizens have in terms of the use of ICT. This usually happens when the institutions or organizations of a country do not have the necessary tools to digitally literate and train their citizens.

Stagnation in the use of ICTs is common in Africa and Latin America due to poor government administration, as well as the problems of corruption and dictatorships that these countries often face. Likewise, the lack of development and high levels of poverty also determine these digital deficiencies.

Causes of technological lag in Africa and Latin America

There are several causes that explain the delay suffered by the countries of these continents. Some of these are explained by the author José Antonio Ocampo in his text Technological backwardness, inequality and little redistribution through fiscal means.

In this publication, Ocampo explains that the complex conditions of the Latin American and African economic context have notably affected the development and application of ICTs.

According to Ocampo, despite certain improvements in the area of ​​education and investment, these countries have squandered the bonanza of the last ten years as a result of the application of bad and inadequate redistributive policies.

This means that these continents, especially Latin America, did not save during the boom that was generated by the growth of the terms of trade; that is, although some investments were made, not enough money was withheld, which led these countries to adjust with greater difficulty to current technological demands.

Another cause of this technological lag is due to the fall in the prices of oil and basic products, which affected international demand and influenced technological and educational lag, since Latin American nations did not have the necessary budget to finance the acquisition of new tools.

Furthermore, deindustrialization has played an elementary role in the technological stagnation of these nations; For example, all of Latin America has the same amount of patent registration as Denmark, which suggests the great problems these continents face in terms of social policies.

Origins in World War II

After the Second World War ended, most Latin American countries stopped supplying raw materials to developed countries, as they began to rebuild their economy and develop their agricultural tools.

This notoriously affected the technological development of this continent, since it could only be guided in the advancement and creation of more developed forms of agriculture. This prevented the introduction of high-quality technology and digital services, as the focus was placed only on the technology of the primary sectors.

Consequently, Latin America became the importer of obsolete or backward technologies in comparison with the advances of developed countries.

Currently the education of many Latin Americans must be interrupted so that they can join the labor market; however, they do this without the necessary training or preparation. Consequently, technological stagnation functions as a vicious circle in which unemployment and educational backwardness feed.

The african continent

For its part, the African continent suffers from a profoundly visible educational and technological backwardness, despite the fact that most African countries have the natural resources necessary to develop economically and socially.

Furthermore, high levels of poverty and misinformation impede the conscious and effective entry of ICTs.

Inequality in the development of countries

Within these continents there are countries that have achieved greater development in the use of ICTs compared to the rest of the adjacent nations.

Some countries like Mexico and Chile have made some progress in terms of economic and educational development; however, other countries such as Venezuela and Bolivia have deteriorated over the decades due to mismanagement of tools and resources.

According to the author Juan Ocampo, Guatemala and Honduras are the countries with the greatest inequality in terms of the use of ICTs and the educational system; on the other hand, Brazil has managed to notably reduce inequality, although it still needs to develop further.

According to this author's calculations, the most developed country in this continent in the application of technologies is Uruguay, followed by Costa Rica, which had made significant progress but fell back a bit in recent years.

References

1. Conchesco, A. (2018) Venezuela and the technological lag. Retrieved on June 6, 2019 from Panam Post: panampost.com
2. Fierro, J. (2007) The problem of technological backwardness of industrial microenterprises. Retrieved on June 6, 2019 from Scielo: scielo.org
3. Ocampo, J. (2015) Technological lag, inequality and little redistribution through fiscal means mark the future of Latin America. Retrieved on June 6, 2019 from FLACSO: flacos.edu.mx
4. Sánchez, M. (2010) Technological lag, State matter. Retrieved on June 6, 2019 from Fortuna Magazine: revistafortuna.com.mx
5. Torres, H. (2018) Technological lag in Mexico: concept, causes and short-term effects. Retrieved on June 6, 2019 from Hector Torres Gallery: hectortorresgallery.blogspot.com