Knowledge Imperialism and Intellectual Capital Formation: A Critical Analysis of Colonial Policies on Educational Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The paper examines the interconnections between intellectual capital formation or development in sub- Saharan Africa and its colonial historical antecedents. The historical epochs of the region in its relations with the West manifested by colonialism, neo-colonialism and imperialism, tend to have hallo effects on the level of intellectual capital formation, as far as the development of the knowledge industries, which is concerned with the production and distribution of ideas and information rather than goods and services, are concerned. It begins with a statistical presentation and analysis of the state of intellectual capital formation in Africa with the state of information and communication technology as a case study for measurement. The paper argues that the technological backwardness of Africa cannot be divorced from its historical antecedents and relationships. What is the relationship between colonial educational systems and the state of technological development of Africa? Is the culture of ‘technological apartheid’ a product of deliberate bureaucratic policies dating back to the colonial era? Is the dependent relationship between Africa and the West in post-colonial era related to the consciously and deliberately established educational, socio-cultural, political and bureaucratic structures of the colonial era? Is Africa a victim of its own inherent and internal contradictions as a result of its relationships with the major hegemonic power centres of Europe and America? The paper concludes by tabling the options before Africa in a scenario where global power play has positioned African countries in a delicately complex economic and political matrix dominated by powerful actors with huge social, cultural, political and technological advantages.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n4p567