Is imitation limitation? The case of China and Nigeria

Read Comments Comments (9)

• Ben 9 years ago

  Well said than ever but in my candid opinion we need the political will to assist in diverse ways for example we have somebody like apostle Kojo Sarfo doing marvelously well in technology and engineering arena. Can't we as ...
  read full comment

  Well said than ever but in my candid opinion we need the political will to assist in diverse ways for example we have somebody like apostle Kojo Sarfo doing marvelously well in technology and engineering arena. Can't we as a nation assist him financially to enable him produce more cars so we give them to government institutions and eventually he becomes perfect.

  reply
• Muslim 9 years ago

  They are stupid enough to enact policies that will bring about such changes.

  They are stupid enough to enact policies that will bring about such changes.

  reply
• majid 9 years ago

  Thank you oooo. We are always look down on people and not building our own life. Nigeria has 2 satellite in the space and they are planning to lunch the third one soon. Nigeria now manufacture cars,buses, trucks and armed car ...
  read full comment

  Thank you oooo. We are always look down on people and not building our own life. Nigeria has 2 satellite in the space and they are planning to lunch the third one soon. Nigeria now manufacture cars,buses, trucks and armed cars....go and check this facts on YouTube. May God help us too and make us see the future.

  reply
• Nana 9 years ago

  can you please post a link to these information..... I'm particularly interested

  can you please post a link to these information..... I'm particularly interested

  reply
• Captain 9 years ago

  It seems your use of China and Nigeria limited your scope in the discussion of the topic - how imitation can lead to the acquisition of knowledge.
  
  Your historical scope is also limited since even in the modern world China ...
  read full comment

  It seems your use of China and Nigeria limited your scope in the discussion of the topic - how imitation can lead to the acquisition of knowledge.
  
  Your historical scope is also limited since even in the modern world China is just a recent convert to the imitation to development strategy. You could've mentioned Japan, South Korea and Taiwan doing the same thing before China. And China may initially have been inhibited by their political system from doing the same when those other countries were doing it. It was only when they shifted their political economy in the past 20 years that they started getting the benefits of imitation. This just shows the important role of the state and the type of economic system it allows for the benefits of imitation to be reaped.
  
  Your introduction also didn't go far into history to see that several centuries ago, China was the most developed country in the world. They lost that status mainly because while the west copied from (imitated) them they failed to imitate the west because they felt too superior.
  
  I thought with your scientific background you could've discussed issues like "third world technology" and "reverse engineering" which are all closely linked to the topic of imitation.
  
  It is a very interesting and vast topic and I understand you cannot discuss it all. There's also a saying that "imitation is the best form of flattery". So yes, Seshie, I agree with you that imitation is not limitation at all. Whoever came up with that may just have been blown away by the rhyme...
  
  But your piece could have specified a bit more how we Ghanaians could also benefit from imitation. You only excoriate us for looking down on cheap products. The Nigerians call low quality imitated items "Ibo made". In Ghana we call such items made in a certain suburb of Accra. So we are not completely unaware of development through imitation.
  
  Finally, Seshie, you can do well to have somebody read through your pieces to pick out some of the petty mistakes you are not able to see yourself because you're the writer. These days it's easy to write wrong words because the computer "self-corrects" to the wrong word without your realizing it. A second eye can easily pick such things out. Such petty misses spoil an otherwise excellent write-up.

  reply
• Dave 9 years ago

  Ghanaians where are u getting information from that Nigeria studied movie making from Ghana.When anything is booming in Nigeria, Ghana will say they did it first. Music they say Ghana started it first as if there were no musi ...
  read full comment

  Ghanaians where are u getting information from that Nigeria studied movie making from Ghana.When anything is booming in Nigeria, Ghana will say they did it first. Music they say Ghana started it first as if there were no musicians in Nigeria in the past; now is movie making. I know later they will say they started comedy first and car manufacturing. Ghanaians!!!!

  reply
• Salifu shiraz 9 years ago

  Wow, I love this piece.God bless you. We truly need more if such to even twist our focus on the way to develop.

  Wow, I love this piece.God bless you. We truly need more if such to even twist our focus on the way to develop.

  reply
• Clement 9 years ago

  This is thought provoking. We need ideas like these.

  This is thought provoking. We need ideas like these.

  reply
• NOBODY 9 years ago

  "HOW CHINA COULD HAVE DONE IT
  They did it by leaning from, and imitating the doers. They enrolled in their universities to acquire the analytic intelligence necessary to fire the synthetic intelligence into action. With thi ...
  read full comment

  "HOW CHINA COULD HAVE DONE IT
  They did it by leaning from, and imitating the doers. They enrolled in their universities to acquire the analytic intelligence necessary to fire the synthetic intelligence into action. With this knowledge acquired, they came down in their numbers to build China. They begin to restructure the educational system with emphasis on science, technology, mathematics and engineering. Education becomes practical, meaningful to many. It begins to bring the needed visible positive change." Seshie, Hanku
  
  Not quite true. China's emergence as a world economic powwer only began to take root in the early 1980s, thanks largely to American industrial machine that was looking to capitalize on cheap labor, and an abundance of it. The fleeing American companies were also helped by the fact that the Chinese government did not allow labor unions in the work place, something that the American businesses dreaded.
  
  Nigeria can have a ready market in Africa, but it will take a huge business plan to come anywhere close to the Chinese model. The Chinese, like the South Koreans, have the American government and American businesses to thank for their economic miracle.
  
  Nigeria can move in that same direction, except that it'll take some time. Nigeria has to contend with a very corrupt governmental system that has no use for "country above self". The Chinese have that advantage.

  reply