IKENNA OBI
The drive towards borrowing and adopting western technology by sending technology emissaries was not done in isolation. There were definite and radical steps which conferred on Japan’s economy certain strength that was remarkable during the Meiji era.
At the BusinessDay CEO Forum held in Lagos , on April 8 2009, the issue of whether technology can be transferred to Nigeria or if Nigeria can actually develop its own technology by consciously borrowing from others and deploying such borrowed technology to serve her economic agenda, attracted the concern of private sector operators. The views and deliberations on the matter, however, reveal that since technology remains a competitive tool, nations that have made successful strides in technology acquisition and usage are not in the habit of consciously transferring technology to other nations.
The strength and competitiveness of all advanced economies lies in the capacity of acquiring and deploying appropriate and superior technology. It is this superior technology that forms the bedrock of meaningful industrialization and as Tom Kemp has rightly noted nations which are rich and powerful possess a technologically advanced industrial base, capable of turning out a large volume of manufactured goods while poor nations are dependent [and] have little or no industry.
Indeed Nigeria can acquire the appropriate technology for her industrial breakthrough not by waiting for some western or Asian foreign investors to pass on their competitive industrial strength to her, but by devising strategies of selectively and consciously borrowing technology, that is in accordance with her industrial goals and aspirations.
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Japan under the Meiji era (1868-1912) offers a good example of how a hitherto isolated and relatively backward non western country realizing that she significantly lagged behind the West, embarked on a deliberate drive towards borrowing western technology and adapting such for industrial growth. The Meiji restoration of 1868 in Japan brought an end to the feudal Tokugawa military regime which lasted for about 265 years, and succeeded in isolating Japan from foreign influences. This isolation was effectively discontinued with the signing of the treaty of Kangawa with the United States of America in 1854.
The enlightened governance which Japan benefited from under the Meiji era transformed the country from a rural and agrarian society to becoming the first Asian industrialized country in the first half of the 20th century. Today, Japan is the second largest economy in the world following the United States of America . The country is equally the world’s fourth largest exporter and is ranked 8th in terms of Human Development Index (HDI).
Japan , a country with over 3000 islands, has achieved this feat not by depending on natural resources as she is much less endowed in them compared to other advanced economies. Rather, through the strategic development of an industrial sector driven by technology initially borrowed from the West and consequently adapted to serve the interests of Japan’s economy, the Japanese have been able to build a strong industrial and export economy largely dependent on imported raw materials.
What essentially did the Japanese ruling class do to achieve such feat in about five decades? Firstly, the Japanese were conscious of the fact that if Japan did not learn from and emulate the foreigners who were battering at its door they [the foreigners] might take over control and turn [their] country into a colony. Thus they were from the outset conscious of their independence and the benefits derivable from exerting control over her own affairs. This obsession with Japan’s independence made the Meiji rulers to send out the best of its brains to the West to understudy western technology and processes in diverse industrial sectors. These emissaries of technology operated more like technological spies understanding that their utmost goal was to understudy the technology of western nations and to adopt such in Japan . They also recruited foreign experts in various fields. These experts were to offer technical advice in their areas of expertise.
The drive towards borrowing and adopting western technology by sending technology emissaries was not done in isolation. There were definite and radical steps which conferred on Japan’s economy certain strength that was remarkable during the Meiji era. Notably, what has been regarded at the time as a departure from liberal capitalist methods, Japan engaged businesses and the private sector as partners, thus building a fruitful alliance between the state and the business community that was akin to practices in the mercantilist era in Europe .
The bureaucrats had close working relationships the representatives of the Zaibatsu- large scale conglomerate family businesses that were dominant in the modern sectors of Japan’s economy through subsidiaries. These vertical monopolies included in their fold a financial or banking subsidiary that provided adequate financial back-up. There were four main zaibatsu: Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo and Yasuda.
In addition, the Japanese government massively invested in road and railway construction and pursued land reform programmes that set the stage for subsequent industrial development.
The Japanese experience throws up some lessons for Nigeria . The close alliance between the public and private sectors in Japan enthroned a commonalty of purpose that was a source of strength. The commonplace divergence of goals and methods that has characterized public “private sector relationship in Nigeria and which has worked against Nigeria’s industrial revolution was not the issue for the Japanese.
It is true that in the last two decades, Nigeria has witnessed an increased dialogue between government representatives and private sector operators. Yet this dialogue has not been transformed to the kind of synergy that is based on mutual understanding and respect, which is equally non-conflictual and sustainable. The current interest in Public-Private Partnership Projects is welcome, so far as it is pursued within the context of an enabling and sustainable legal and ethical framework that can guarantee efficiency and continuity.
It is essential that the Nigerian leadership understands that latecomers to industrial revolution can hardly re-invent the wheel. Rather, what they can do is to take stock of existing technological advancement and devise a national strategy of acquiring relevant technology and putting such to use. This can be done through providing an enabling environment for the manufacturing industry to sponsor research and technological advancement projects, and deriving appropriate benefits from existing technological prowess available in other societies.The Japanese industrial development experience confirms that even without the quantum of natural resources at the disposal of Britain or the United States of America , a country can become a strong industrial economy. Nigeria , awash with all sorts of minerals and nature’s endowment can experience its major industrial leap only if the right environment is created and sustained.
The Japanese knowing that their country was relatively deficient in nature’s blessing focused on the creation of a favourable micro and macro economic environment for industrial investments. It is remarkable that the Japanese focused on the achievement of a high level of citizen literacy from outset, and invested heavily in technological awareness for its young population. This aside, the crucial role of a developed infrastructure in economic development was recognized early.
The exemplary vision and patriotism exhibited by the Meiji leaders offers an example for the leadership class in the country. The Meiji leaders knew their country was significantly behind the West and they set out to deliberately close such development gap. Can Nigerian leaders exhibit such consciousness and resolute commitment?
The economic histories of Japan , China and the Asian Tigers ( Hong Kong , South Korea , Singapore and Taiwan ) have proven considerably that industrial development is not an exclusive preserve of Europeans or Americans or of the Caucasoid race. Nigeria has a large population that offers a ready mass market for industrial products and a good source of human resources. There is an abundant natural resource that can be harnessed to the country’s advantage. All that is lacking is that committed leadership which the renowned Nigerian novelist, Chinua Achebe has long harped as the major trouble with Nigeria .
It is good that President Umar Musa YarAdua has lamented over the non-recognition of Nigeria by the G20 group. Indeed, the resolve to transform Japan by her leaders started with a feeling of disgust and shame over the kind of technological prowess exhibited by the American Naval officer, Commodore Mathew C. Perry and his expedition crew when they visited Japan in 1853/1854. It was this feeling of backwardness that triggered the revolution that laid the foundation of an Industrial Japan. Can the feeling of neglect or shame provoke any meaningful resolve on the part of our leadership to make Nigeria a global Giant?
