By KENNEDY MUPESENI –
LACK of innovation and creativity in the engineering profession in Zambia is contributing to over dependence on imports.
Zambia like any other country in Africa has abundant raw materials which require creativity and innovation to be exploited.
Many countries that have attained sound macro and micro economic development have appreciated technology.
Engineers are not only problem-solvers; they are also providers of creative and innovative ideas that make communication, travel, research, and everyday living easier and much more efficient hence the need for more efforts to be innovative.
Some experts often wonder if the engineering profession in the country has helped solve Zambia’s problems and made life easier.
Or are the engineers merely repairing machinery and ideas that have already been built and formulated in other parts of the world and not generating their own?
In Zambia, there is an innovation and creativity gap in many professions in Zambia and the engineering profession is not an exception.
This lack of innovation has resulted in the waste of resources that we could greatly benefit from.
The continued exportation of mineral resources in their raw form is an issue that has been raised countless times.
University of Zambia (UNZA) lecturer Donald Chandra says he longs for the time when the a motor vehicle would be made in Zambia.
Dr Chanda says as long as the country’s professional were innovative the much talked about economic development will not be attained.
“I will die a happy person if I drive a vehicle invented by a Zambian engineer,” he says
The country lose so much money by exporting unprocessed material especially minerals that we then go on to import when other countries have added value to our own resources.
And a local entrepreneur and academician Pinalo Chifwanakeni wonders what the country’s mining, mechanical and chemical engineers learning in universities if they cannot even refine minerals and add value that will create employment and provide income for the country?
“This is but one weakness the engineering profession faces.
Another weakness that the engineering profession has includes the lack of flexibility and patience to appreciate ideas from non-engineers such as entrepreneurs who tend to make quick decisions and cannot wait for precise solutions sought by engineers,” Prof Chifwanakeni submits.
The earliest known definition of entrepreneurship was given by Joseph Schumpeter in 1934, who defined it as the introduction of a new or improved product, new method of production, the opening of a new market, the exploitation of a new source of supply and the re-engineering or reorganisation of business management purposes.
Regardless of how long ago this phenomenon was first defined, the underlying concepts and ideas are applicable in today’s society and business environment.
He continues that engineers should learn to trust their intuition in decision-making and thus exercise some risk-taking and embrace entrepreneurship.
Prof Chifwanakeni further encourages, engineers to learn to value soft skills and visionary thinking which he says it has important traits in successful entrepreneurship.
Engineers should also learn to think more and more outside the book and not limit themselves to ideas and solutions that have always worked in the past or have not worked at all if they to contribute effectively to the development of the country.
In order to grow the engineering profession and ensure that it addresses the problems being faced in Zambia it is important to understand the source of challenge.
Another questions frequently asked is does the current education system prepare engineers to become entrepreneurs?
Prof Chifwanakeni who is the vice chancellor and proprietor at the University Of Lusaka (UNILUS) says another challenge that the country faces is active involvement in science and technology at the lower level of education.
The Junior Engineers, Technologists and Scientists (JETS) fairs that are held for secondary school pupils should give an indication of what future engineers should be able to do.
He asks if the country is able to harness these technologies, even in their most basic form, and develop them into industrial products that will be appreciated by communities.
“If we are not doing this, then we need to start. It will be at this point that we will be able to identify promising innovators and inventors that will change the course of our lives,” the Prof says.
Engineers are well placed in solving Zambia’s vast problems.
One of the ways that this can be done is through technological advancements that could contribute to the growth of the Zambian economy.
Ng’andu Consulting Limited proprietor Abel Ng’andu urges engineers to be innovate and embrace entrepreneurship if they to contribute significantly to the development of the country.
“I started small, now our firm is able to employ over 85 people with an expenditure of K1million per months and expanded our operations to countries like Rwanda,” he said.
The growing economy will lead to the creation and building of wealth in the country.
The engineers should perfectly abreast with advancing technologies and actively participating in advancing technologies.
The Engineering Institute of Zambia (EIZ) should be speaking at international conferences, exhibiting their latest ideas and collaborating with world-renowned engineers in shaping and changing the use of resources.
There need for deeper reflections needed on the relevance that the engineering profession has on entrepreneurship and the creation of wealth for the country.
It is time we started doing things differently to change the position that Zambian engineers take on the world stage.