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Chapter 1- The Uptake of Environmentally Sensitive Innovation to Transform Production Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Africa Institute of South Africa
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1 CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY The objective is to identify empirically the degree to which firms in SubSaharan African countries have experience with environmentally sensitive technology uptake. Examples are sought from reports of cleaner production activities from Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Invariably cleaner production is externally induced. It is not created internally as part of a firm’s evolutionary dynamics, selection, common sense, routine or set of activities. From the technology to the consultants, they seem to have originated from outside. The barriers to the uptake of ESTs into African firms will be identified and the wider context and ideas for their internalisation to enhance firm capability of environmentally anchored production requires the synchronised deployment of national policy framework, industrial policy, technology selection and production, that is making a robust national system of innovation for the economy. INTRODUCTION O ne factor for focusing on cleaner production practices in Africa is the possibility of building in environmental concerns in Africa’s quest to industrialise. In comparison to the industrialised countries, the industrialising countries of Africa can be seen as ‘a green field economic space’. The condition for setting up cleaner production centres to help design and plan both environmentally and economically sound industrial systems is open in Africa. The fact that Africa has no locked up industrial system is a plus in the sense that it does not have to pay the huge costs to readjust and retool massive industrial structures built over many years. It is possible that national environmental laws could enforce the The Uptake of Environmentally Sensitive Innovation to Transform Production Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa Mammo Muchie 2 CHAPTER 1 requisite regulatory regime to combine environmental planning with a wealth-creation planning in Africa’s relatively more agrarian setting than in industrialised countries. Planning international technology transfer in the form of environmentally sound technologies (ESTs) uptake into African firms is therefore an important strategy to combine development with poverty eradication and environmental security. African development should and can proceed by internalising environmental constraints. There is no alternative to imagine and design strategies to bring about development with environmental health and conservation. A new model of ecologically underpinned industrial evolution can be tried in Africa. An important factor to the input of African industrialisation is relentless thought, consideration and incorporation of environmental constraints. An important output is measurable gains in environmental conservation. Thus theories, concepts and production activities for facilitating Africa’s industrialisation have to be more exploratory and imaginative. The attempt to introduce ESTs into African firms can be seen as a break-away with known patterns of industrialisation. The cases will be examined as part of the search to reveal any light on the alternative road of ecological industrialisation. We shall examine the conception and practice of ESTs’ uptake in Tanzania and Zimbabwe from reports and conversations the writer had with various consultants, especially from UNEP/UNIDO involved in cleaner production assessments, mostly as part of the set up of National Cleaner Production Centres (NCPCs). While interpretation and analysis is from this author, the information is taken from reports and notes from interviews and conversations of international UN consultants. Both Zimbabwe and Tanzania have benefited from the setup of the UNIDO/UNEP assisted National Cleaner Production Centres. The latter have tried to spearhead cleaner production assessments in specific industries by promoting cleaner production practices via dissemination, workshops, training and courses. The Zimbabwean cleaner production centre has been host to the second meeting of the NCPC group of countries. Cleaner production training at the shopfloor for workers has been explored in Zimbabwe. Training programmes for future consultants in CP has been developed. Though CPC-Z has provided training, it does not certify the training and is seeking assistance from a Norwegian DNV to certify trainees both in companies and as consultants. Companies in Zimbabwe try twinning with foreign companies to create technology partnerships. CPC-Z is not inserted in any identifiable pattern in Zimbabwe’s superstructure for research and development or production. Its current status remains unclear. [23.20.51.162] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 11:34 GMT) 3 THE UPTAKE OF ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE INNOVATION TO TRANSFORM PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA CASE STUDY OF CLEANER PRODUCTION EXAMPLES FROM TANZANIA Consultants claim in their reports that in Tanzania many industries are uninformed about cleaner production concepts. There are, however, a number of organisations involved in searching for ESTs. Some of these are: the Tanzanian Industrial Research and Development Organisation (TIRDO), the Commission on...