Udeme Nana
Everest Amaefule’s clean and insightful reserve with nine chapters would offer many talking details in a long time to come. In putting the operate with each other, Amaefule has turn into a member of a pick out team of “beat reporters” in journalism follow who progressed into thinkers obtaining drawn from their activities, publicity and education to increase much more worth in their field to the culture.
If the position of a person who endorses a ebook confers value on these kinds of an intellectual energy, then Technological innovation and Progress – An African Perspectiveis a best attract simply because Professor Umar Dambatta, the Government Vice Chairman and Chief Govt Officer of the Nigerian Communications Fee, NCC, is no signify gentleman.
As if that was not enough, the preface is authored by a person of the most participating students of mass communication, Professor Charles Okigbo, a effectively-highly regarded mentor to some of us – now an emeritus professor of mass interaction and strategic interaction, North Dakota State University, United States of The us. Okigbo was 1 of our most loved instructors back again then when he taught at the University of Nigeria, where Amaefule attained his to start with degree in mass interaction.
The foreword by Mr. Joseph Adeyeye, Executive Director, Electronic Operations and Publications, Punch Newspapers, is not just an enduring validation of diligence at function but serves as a in depth blurb which introduces the publication.
The book opens with the triple earth shaking gatherings of 1989: the launch of Nelson Mandela from jail right after nearly three decades, the improvement of the world huge web (www) and the fall of the Berlin Wall. What an outstanding year, against the qualifications of a divisive world order greatest identified for slice throat competitiveness and distrust.
These historic incidents set the phase for a possible brand new world signposted by globalisation, openness, liberty and attempts at integration of humankind into an emergent world-wide group with a minimized amount of attempt in between the important tremendous powers in the world at that time.
The guide critiques past worries about media imperialism and the clamor for harmony, mostly by Africa international locations highlighting that the creation of the internet and the earth broad website has, somewhat than bridge the hole, widened it in favour of vendors of details and shoppers who have develop into ‘net importers of information’.
This demonstrates that the aged entire world order is even now the widespread circumstance. The gap even appears to be to be wider.
In the 2nd chapter, the writer focuses on the collaboration concerning the navy and the academia in bringing about innovations with the help of the political leadership. Are there potential customers for these kinds of a symbiotic relationship? Is it probable to have a conference of eyesight and head amid political leaders, bureaucrats, company individuals and academia to quick keep track of tries to leapfrog into a larger degree of progress?
The creator underscores how rivalry amongst the two superpowers at that time impressed research and improvement attempts.
Amaefule would like African nations to draw lessons from America’s technique to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) relations “while the United States experienced to lookup for counter systems that could dwarf the threats of the USSR”, Africa is nevertheless enmeshed in the woods battling versus weak management of assets in diverse sectors.
The succeeding ingredient sets the tone for Africa to discover abilities and competence, tap and harness excellent human resources, recruit staff and set them in the ideal areas. A situation examine of the United States and South Korea impact his advocacy for Africa to seek for homegrown alternatives relatively than ‘deceive ourselves that other folks can do it for us’.
The section that follows lends credence to the legend that “necessity is the mom of invention” though reviewing the travel which led to the innovation of the world vast web as distinctive from the internet. He displays on their origins, their evolution, their strengths and weaknesses in comparison to the conventional media. This part exposes the author’s total grasp of the various troubles in his discipline of follow.
A different division obviously provides out the major characteristics of the web, it is takes advantage of, enormous probable for very good noting that it ‘is the most democratic modern day medium obtainable for development’.
Even so, lifetime is not that straightforward for the reason that whilst the web is a force for very good, the flip aspect is hideous: it promotes criminal offense, eavesdropping, invasion of privacy. Obtain is not as common as assumed since of poverty, weak electricity provide, superior cost, pretend news and tales. The world-wide-web serves as the two the quickest, most sturdy usually means of mobilization for good and undesirable will cause. It has come to be a practical instrument for equally patroits and terrorists. The exploits and successes recorded by Boko Haram, ISWAP, bandits, kidnappers and other insurgents point to the down sides of these technological innovations.
The discourse on historic epochs in development examines several themes in advancement philosophy as a result of the several years and sets an agenda for a dialogue on these kinds of theories as modernisation, Marxism, dependency, put up-development. The writer argues that both of those the designed international locations and producing nations of the planet located in the Northern hemisphere and in the opposite direction need growth ‘from the industrialised The usa to the remotest village in Nigeria’.
In chapter 7, ‘Participation as a new salt in improvement literature’, the author highlights the imperative for standard participation in progress initiatives. An exciting perspective is mentioned underneath ‘critical challenges in rural growth which the creator sees as’ the totality of the approaches aimed at improving the normal of residing or welfare of a rural population’ albeit in Nigeria, ‘most initiatives at rural advancement had concentrated on the growth of agriculture’.
In the remaining part, Amaefule highlights the worth for a change to participatory communication which facilitates exchanges in between diverse stakeholders to deal with a common difficulty.
He examines some types of interaction like Shannon and Weaver’s Sender – Media – Channel – Receiver (SMCR), Diffusion of Innovation, Transmission product, Social Promoting strategy of Kotler, Entertainment-Training and Media Advocacy versions as beneficial in selling advancement communication.
All in all, the 140-page e-book is abundant. It is a nicely-articulated contribution to the literature on technology and advancement.
Amaefule is a relentless go-getter. While he located himself in a sector which was at infancy in Nigeria, he has grown into it and mastered the difficulties on that ‘beat’. His contributions in the webpages of the ebook exposes him as a eager observer of his setting.
This new reserve will link generations of people today who were being unaware of the deep ideological divide promoted by the US on one particular hand, the USSR and their allies to those people who lived in that Era. I commend the author’s efforts and advocate this reserve to administrators, scholars and typical visitors simply because it would enable them to shape and sharpen their feelings on the subject matter issue. It is a handy addition to the literature on the Globe Large World wide web, The Web and Development Interaction as it will deliver visitors with a further and far more knowledge of the challenges.
Dr Udeme Nana, a mass interaction scholar and writer, is the Founder, Uyo Guide Club.
