Industry, innovation, and infrastructure are at the heart of human civilization and are deeply interconnected.
The industrial revolution started over 250 years ago, bringing with it improved economic conditions and better job opportunities.
These new, industrial jobs required fuel, making fossil fuel a popular energy source.
While new jobs were created, the industrialization itself came with consequences, like climate change, that are being realized today.
Automation through inventions like the assembly line not only provided jobs, but enabled people to make things faster, and at a lower cost.
Roads and railways were constructed to move people and products to more remote places, and with it, the world became smaller.
Innovations like electrical grids gave people the ability to work and study easily, outside of daylight hours. Electricity also provided creature comforts.
Innovators continued to make the impossible possible. New ideas continued to breed new ideas. Telephone lines connected remote places and the world became even smaller.
The developed world was born and it continues to grow.
Yet, in the midst of such transformation, developing countries have been left behind.
For developing countries, industrialization is essential to eradicating extreme poverty, eliminating hunger, and improving education.
For industries to grow, infrastructures must be modernized.
Some road systems date back to colonial times. Without improved roads and railway systems, the cost of moving goods to ports--both raw materials and finished products--will be too high.
But we have to be mindful about modernization. Africa is rich in natural resources. Finding a balance between industrial growth and sustainable business practices will be essential.
What can be done to promote faster industrialization in the least developed countries?
Many countries in Africa are focusing on how they generate energy by investing in renewable sources like geothermal and wind. This creates the foundation for stronger manufacturing.
Manufacturing relies on the ability to get products into the global marketplace. To be successful, countries, like those in Africa, need to work with companies to provide access to their abundant raw materials. This will create jobs and opportunities for product development and innovation.
High tech manufacturing jobs are high-skilled jobs. To encourage manufacturing growth in the least developed countries, there needs to be a focus on STEM education in those areas.
Sustainability needs to remain a focus as industry grows. Natural resources need to be harvested responsibly and manufacturing facilities need to operate without a negative impact on the environment.
What's Next?
Learn more about Global Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.
Credits:
Created with images by chuttersnap - "Shot with @expeditionxdrone" • The New York Public Library - "Blacksmith shop, San Augustine, Texas. 1939, photographer Lee Russell" • Umut YILMAN - "Factory" • Nareeta Martin - "Old grain silos dominate the landscape and remind us of times past." • paulbr75 - "old model t-ford black white" • Ronaldo de Oliveira - "untitled image" • Alex Jones - "Ominous birds on power lines" • K. Mitch Hodge - "untitled image" • Anders Jildén - "A look across the island" • jeanvdmeulen - "african women walking along road sand road" • Joshua Bartell - "untitled image" • John O'Nolan - "untitled image" • Sergey Pesterev - "View of Kilimanjaro from Amboseli National Park, Kenya." • Myriams-Fotos - "sunset sun windräder" • kliempictures - "container container ship port" • Louis Reed - "A close up of the production facility at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory" • kolibri5 - "elephant africa namibia"