ABSTRACT

This study investigates technology and promotion of sustainable development in Cameroon. This study adopts a qualitative methodology essentially based on doctrinal research making use of content analysis and interpretation of primary and secondary sources of data. According to findings, Technology plays a vital role in addressing the challenges of sustainable development by enabling innovative solutions and fostering economic, social, and environmental progress. More findings reveal that, Mobile systems have challenged the fixed line systems due to high drop in prices, triggered by major competition in the mobile sector. Based on the findings, it is recommended that governments should; Foster closer collaboration among different international organizations and with civil society organizations regarding initiatives designed to build skills for rapid technological change.Support multi-stakeholder collaboration in policy learning, capacity building and technology development.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Businesses in advanced economies have in past twenty years enjoyed some levels of successes with the adoption and use of technologies, especially Information Communication Technology (ICT). On the other hand, some advancing economies, for example Cameroon, have reacted some how very slowly to the chance of making an impression with the available technologies. Interestingly, this situation is not unique to Cameroon alone but also in most of Africa and Asia’s emerging economies.

• BACKGROUND OF STUDY

 In the early 20th century, emphasis was placed on the absolute need of machineries to promote economic growth in the economy. There was a greater need for human power to work these machineries, their intellectual capacity or skill specialty was not usually a pre-requisite for carrying out the tasks as long as the workers were skilled enough to carry out their daily routine. Users also had to wait lengthy period of time to see products and services they required. The whole productive cycle was done in a top-down fashion. And any error discovered at project completion phase meant a complete condemnation of the finished product and a fresh start from the analysis of specification stage. Much of these could be attributed to the fact that, there was no loop-style method of product design which is widely present in today’s economy, in which, a prototype of the specified product or service is designed and tested. Any fault detected at testing phase is simply corrected by re-visiting and correcting the programs or design in the offending loop, and re-integrating the new change into the product cycle. The early stage economies were at low information-(in) accessibility phase. A stage where entrepreneurs, program designers, analysts and even end-users did not have adequate knowledge of products and services they required, developed and/or used. Tasks were routinely carried out with no thought about how the cycle of production could be shortened or high-quality low-cost goods and services produced. It became the case of “the Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, where results were either achieved or not and with little foresight.

According to Arreymbi (2006), low technology up-take can be directly attributed to and/or influenced by the socio-political atmosphere in these economies. In most emerging economies, the socio-political and sometimes personal to cultural influences play a major part in the adoption and use of modern technologies? For example, many reports have pointed out the cultural influences on women in predominantly Muslim countries, which does not allow for women entrepreneurship and/or exposure to foreign technology. There have been reports (BBC News, 2002) of many such restrictions imposed by Muslim leaders especially in pre-war Afghanistan, in the education of women and general use of Western technology, because it was seen to be influencing the culture and could be used as a manipulative tool. Alterman (2000) also cited similar socio-political and cultural reasons in countries such as Bahrain and Tunisia, where they openly monitor Internet traffic.

Therefore, it can be safe to suspect a correlation between the information level and socio-economic development of a nation. How strong or beneficial this link is, depends on a number of factors; chief among them is the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) available in an economy. The statement is further supported by the increase ICT adoption by many economies of the world both the rich and not so rich in promoting societal, business and more recently government (e-Government) activities.

• RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• Does the creation of new technologies foster sustainable development?
• What is the current level of SDGs implementation in Cameroon?
• Are the challenges encountered in the promotion of sudtainable development with the use of technology?

In other to answer this question the following objective will be taken into consideration

• OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This study of the impact of technology on sustainable development in Cameroon has as its main objective to examining the effect technology on sustainable development in Cameroon? With this being our main objective the following specific objectives will be considered:

• To establish the content of sustainable development
• To find out whether the creation of new technologies foster sustainable development.
• To find out if there are challenges encountered in the promotion of sudtainable development with the use of technology.
  • RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

The following hypothesis will be tested within the study

H1: The concept of sustainable development has some significant elements

H2: new technologies foster sustainable development in Cameroon.

H3: There are challenges faced in the implementation of technology in promoting sustainable development in Cameroon.