Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Africa: A Cure Which Kills the Patient

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Africa and the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Abstract

This summative chapter is organised into two broad perspectives, one presents the prospects of Africa in the 4IR and the other presents the challenges. It gives an overarching background in which the 4IR will unfold. This background to the 4IR is presented as the world order which was inaugurated in 1492 with the Reconquista in the Iberian Peninsula. The second background given is that of the modern nation-state in which the 4IR unfolds. The genealogy of the modern nation-state is traced to its problematic birth as a result of conquest, epistemicides, and genocides which occurred from 1492 onwards perpetrated by western Europeans on many, including these who later became their colonial subjects. The chapter outlays the two trajectories ahead of Africa. That of the 4IR becoming a resource or a curse. The conclusion of the chapter is that, if something does not drastically change in Africa, the 4IR will not cure the African problem but will become a source of agony. Epistemic freedom, just leadership, and ethical leadership are presented as prerequisites for Africa’s autonomous participation in the 4IR.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ajakaiye O, Page J (2012) Industrialisation and economic transformation in Africa: introduction and overview. J Afr Econ 21(SUPPL.2):3–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Ajakaiye O, Afeikhena Jerome T, Nabena D, Olufunke AA (2016) Understanding the relationship between growth and employment in Nigeria. Brookings Institution Press, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayentimi DT, Burgess J (2019) Is the fourth industrial revolution relevant to Sub-Sahara Africa? Technol Anal Strateg Manag 31(6):641–652

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bbaale E (2013) Is Uganda’s growth profile jobless? Int J Econ Financ 5(11):105–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beal CR, Adams NM, Cohen PR (2010) Reading proficiency and mathematics problem solving by high school English language learners. Urban Educ 45(1):58–74

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benyera E (2020) The colonial state is the problem in Africa. In: Benyera E (ed) Reimagining justice, human rights and leadership in Africa: challenging discourse and searching for alternative paths. Springer, Cham, pp 21–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Benyera E, Francis R, Jazbhay AH (2020) Challenging discourse and searching for alternative paths: justice, human rights and leadership in Africa. In: Reimagining justice, human rights and leadership in Africa: challenging discourse and searching for alternative paths. Springer, Cham, pp 3–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Berends G (2016) What does the EU-SADC EPA really say? An analysis of the economic partnership agreement between the European Union and Southern Africa. South African J Int Affairs 23(4):457–474

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boidin C, Cohen J, Grosfoguel R (2012) Introduction: from University to Pluriversity a Decolonial approach to the present crisis of Western Universities. Human Archit J Sociol Self-Knowl 1:1–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardoso FH (1977) The consumption of dependency theory in the United States. Lat Am Res Rev 12(3):7–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Castrillon G (2019) An uncertain future means graduates need new skills. Mail Guardian

    Google Scholar 

  • Chummun BZ (2018) Mobile security in low-income households’ businesses: a measure of financial inclusion. In: Fields Z (ed) Handbook of research on information and cyber security in the fourth industrial revolution. IGI Global, Hershey, pp 546–65

    Google Scholar 

  • Frank AG (1978) Dependent accumulation. McGrawhill Publishers, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Frank AG (2015) In: Roberts JT, Hite AB, Nitsan C (eds) The development of underdevelopment (1969). New England Free Press, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Gondchawar N, Kawitkar RS (2016) IoT based smart agriculture. Int J Adv Res Comput Commun Eng 5(6):838–842

    Google Scholar 

  • Gordon LR (2008) An introduction to Africana philosophy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Grzymala-Busse A (2008) Beyond clientelism: incumbent state capture and state formation. Comp Political Stud (April 2007):638–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Gumede WM (2007) Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC. Zed Books, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall R, Kepe T (2017) Elite capture and state neglect: new evidence on South Africa’s land reform. Rev Afr Political Econ 44(151):122–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • International Water Association (2019) “Fourth industrial revolution—moving South Africa towards ‘Digital Water.’” The Water Wheel (September/October). Retrieved 22 July 2020. http://www.worldwideworx.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Exec-Summary-4IR-in-SA-2019.pdf

  • Iraki XN (2018) The fourth industrial revolution is Africa’s to lose. J Futures Stud 23(1):101–104

    Google Scholar 

  • Jansen J, Vale P, Buhlungu S, Higgins J, Odora Hoppers C, Jeppie S, Magubane Z (2011) Consensus study on the state of the humanities in South Africa: status, prospects and strategies. The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), Pretoria

    Google Scholar 

  • Jazbhay AH (2019) African powerhouses: a decolonial critique of Nigeria and South Africa’s perceived economic and political strengths in the modern world-system. In: O. Tella (ed) Nigeria-South Africa relations and regional hegemonic competence. Springer, New York, pp 25–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Knott-Craig A (2018) How 4IR will benefit South Africa (Part 1). Bizcommunity

    Google Scholar 

  • Kopiński D (2019) A successful failed state after all? The case of Angola. Politeja 15(56):67–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kshetri N (2014) The emerging role of big data in key development issues: opportunities, challenges, and concerns. Big Data Soc 1(2):1–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luckett K (2016) Curriculum contestation in a post-colonial context: a view from the south. Teach High Educ 21(4):415–428

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mamdani M (2020) Neither settler nor native the making and unmaking of permanent minorities. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge and London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Marais H (2011) South Africa pushed to the limit: the political economy. Zed Books, London and New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Markowitz C (2019) Harnessing the 4IR in SADC: roles for policymakers. South African Institute of International Affairs, Johannesburg

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin G (1982) Africa and the ideology of Eurafrica: neo-colonialism or Pan-Africanism? J Mod Afr Stud 20(2):221–238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mazrui AA (1986) The Africans: a triple heritage. Little, Brown and Company, Boston and Toronto

    Google Scholar 

  • Mboungou MS (2019) The fourth industrial revolution—4IR: a New Buzz concept for the emerging markets of Africa. I-Manager’s J Cloud Comput 6(2):1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller J, McKenna McKenna (2016) World literacy: how countries rank and why it matters. Routledge, London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Mncayi P, Dunga SH (2016) Career choice and unemployment length: a study of graduates from a South African University. Ind High Educ 30(6):413–423

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohamedbhai G (2017) The importance of polytechnics for Africa’s development. Int Higher Educ 88:30–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muchie M, Gumede V, Oloruntoba S, Achu Check N (2017) Regenerating Africa: bringing African solutions to African problems. Africa Institute of South Africa, Pretoria

    Google Scholar 

  • Mutuku RK (2020) Africa rising: a pathway of three frontiers—internet of things, population growth and free trade area. Afr Rev 47:141–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nalubega T, Uwizeyimana DE (2019) Public sector monitoring and evaluation in the fourth industrial revolution: implications for Africa. Africa’s Publ Serv Deliv Perform Rev 7(1):1–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Naudé W (2017) Entrepreneurship, education and the fourth industrial revolution in Africa. IZA Discussion Paper No. 10855(10855):1–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Odendaal N (2019) SA mining adopting, driving 4IR as its transformation journey continues. Engineering news, June 21

    Google Scholar 

  • Olajire B (2019) 4IR—are universities preparing students for the future? University world news, December 12

    Google Scholar 

  • Philbeck T, Davis N (2019) The fourth industrial revolution: shaping a new era. J Int Aff 72(1):17–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Prebisch R (1959) International trade and payments in an era of coexistence: commercial policy in the underdeveloped countries. Am Econ Rev 49(2):251–273

    Google Scholar 

  • Prebisch R (1962) The economic development of Latin America and its principal problems. Econ Bull Latin Am 7:1–22

    Google Scholar 

  • Quijano A (2000) Coloniality of power, eurocentrism, and Latin America. Nepantla Views South 1(3):533–580

    Google Scholar 

  • Suarez-Krabbe J (2012) ‘Epistemic Coyotismo’ and transnational collaboration: decolonizing the Danish University. Human Architect J Sociol Self-Knowl 10(1):31–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Tamale S (2020) Praise for Decolonization and Afro-Feminism. Daraja Press, Ottawa

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor M (2018) Climate-smart agriculture: what is it good for? J Peasant Stud 45(1):89–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wallerstein I (1974) The modern world-system: capitalist agriculture and the origins of the european world-economy in the sixteenth century. Academic Press, New York, San Francisco and London

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallerstein I (2007) World systems analysis: an introduction. Duke University Press, Durham and London

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolfert S, Ge L, Verdouw C, Bogaardt MJ (2017) Big data in smart farming—a review. Agric Syst 153:69–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yusuf B, Walters LM, Sailin SN (2020) Restructuring educational institutions for growth in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR): a systematic review. Int J Emerg Technol Learn (IJET) 15(03):93–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Žižek S (2008) Violence: six sideways reflections. Picador, New York

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa

    Everisto Benyera

Authors
  1. Everisto Benyera
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

    Everisto Benyera

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Benyera, E. (2022). The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Africa: A Cure Which Kills the Patient. In: Benyera, E. (eds) Africa and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87524-4_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation