Dr Ave Kludze Junior, a Rocket Scientist with the US National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) has advised African countries to stick to their values, culture and traditions even as they employ technology to develop.
“In its quest to develop through technology, Africa was likely to lose its values and traditions, but it must not relegate them to the background because they were equally essential development tools.
Dr Kludze Jnr gave the advice when he spoke on the theme “Transforming Secondary Education and preserving History, the role of Technology” at the 111th Speech, Prize-Giving and Founder’s Day celebration of the Adisadel Collage in Cape Coast.
The event was held virtually as the COVID-19 pandemic did not allow for large gatherings associated with such celebrations.
Old students, parents and members of the santaclausian fraternity participated via several social media platforms from the comfort of their homes.
Dr Kludze Jnr underscored the importance of technology to the economic growth and development of a nation and said”no nation under the sun has succeeded or progressed without technology”.
However, he noted that technology was transformational and was only to complement culture and tradition and it was therefore essential that people kept and preserved their values and traditions.
“I have seen technology at its best,, but I have always maintained great respect for indigenous African culture and traditions. It is important that technology must be used to facilitate, preserve and promote traditions and culture and not to minimise them”, he said.
“Our ancestors also followed what can be considered scientific methods in developing technologies that are embedded in our culture and traditions”, he added.
Dr Kludze Junior, expressed optimism that with the right planning, technology could solve most of Ghana and Africa’s problems. He therefore called on Africans to stop looking to the outside World for solutions to the problems confronting the continent saying, no one could solve Africa’s problems better than its own children.
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