A technological evolution we should embrace

Feb 16, 2014 News

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By Dwijendra Rooplall
It’s amazing when you juxtapose a developing country such as Guyana against some of its more, highly developed counterparts like India, China the United States, and you find that even though this country is still developing, it has available much of the same technological amenities that are made and are available in the so-called developed world.
One might very well argue that this is so because of Guyana’s liberalized polices that allow for and promote free market enterprise, especially where information and communication technology (ICT) is concerned.
It never ceases to amaze one to know that a gadget could just be released in the US or the United Kingdom and within the space of one week it finds itself on store shelves in Guyana. And this is not a one-time event; you can witness it recurring multiple times. This happened when Apple released its iPhone 5C and 5S models, it happened when Sony and Microsoft released their new generation gaming consoles PS4 and Xbox One respectively, and in other cases too numerous to mention.
What’s more interesting is that we have had access to these devices earlier than many developed countries have and our population is relatively small compared to theirs. Utilizing the rational line of thought, one could postulate that Guyanese are a tech savvy people. But what does this all mean in the grand scheme of things?
For the most part, a society that is open and promotes technological growth is one that is destined for growth economically. Research has shown that while exports of technological products aid significantly in the growth of the country that is shipping out the product, imports of same product benefits the overall growth and productivity of the receiving country, in this specifice case Guyana.
A study done by the University of the South Pacific on technological achievement and growth by Gani (2009) posits that “Exports of high technology products are giving a quick boost to the export incomes of several countries with high technological capability. While export contributions to national growth and productivity is obvious, imports of high technology goods can raise output directly as inputs into the production process.
For example, Connolly (2003) provides empirical evidence that high technology goods imports from developed countries not only positively affects domestic innovation, but also leads to increased GDP growth as higher quality capital goods are used in domestic production. In addition, Coe, Helpman and Hoffmaister (1997) have noted that access to imported inputs facilitates the diffusion of knowledge, which contributes to productivity while Wacziarg (2001) notes that import competition increases not only the exit but also the entry of domestic firms, spurring innovation.”
However what’s noteworthy within the context of Guyana is that even though we have the technological hardware, we are lacking in the infrastructure to support them. Take for example the smartphones that support 3G and 4G speeds of broadband connectivity. We are only able to supply 2G and in some cases 3G connectivity. To fill that void, we see government trying to lay fibre optic cables from Brazil under its e-governance project to provide that service, much to the dismay of private stakeholders who are still awaiting approval for expansion and would rightly so want these services to remain within the private sector, because the overall ambit of the government of the day is to utilize its tax revenue for the provisions of social services to the comfort of the taxpayer and not for the purpose of profiteering.
Within the ICT sector there is a lucrative avenue for returns on capital investment, hence the reason why we see the proliferation of businesses that supply technological products and services, and out of the competition that ensues, the consumers are now benefiting with competitively-priced technological products. This is evidenced in how affordable it is to purchase a low-end smartphone, as well as other new products such as LED and Smart televisions.
The direction that Guyana is headed technologically is a good one, but more focus is now needed to look at how the country could one day be an innovator within the technological evolution that is taking place. It’s a pipe dream now, but it could be an eventuality if we make the necessary policy decisions.
It is well known that Guyana is primarily an agriculturally-driven society; we have to start diversifying and looking at ways to start harvesting and refining our metals and other resources, so that if the opportunity for tech production presents itself, we will be ready.
That opportunity can come in the form of Foreign Direct Investment. Once the enabling environment is created, then tech and manufacturing companies will jump at the opportunity of expanding their market concentration, while at the same time outsourcing jobs for comparatively cheaper labour, a win-win situation for Guyana, albeit within the short-term dynamics of growth.
Guyana has a lot of young people who would want to take part within that field and who have the knowledge and capacity to one day be technological innovators, but only if the enabling environment is created.

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