Abstract
M.Ing.
One of the primary aims of any nation is to enjoy as high a quality of life as possible. This can be achieved through a process of economic development whereby quality of life in general is improved as the national economy moves from a developing economy into an industrialised one. For some time now it has been suggested that technology, in its many different forms, is to a large extent responsible for enhancing and driving the process of economic development, whether this be the economic development of a particular region or of an entire country. The question therefore arises as to whether it is possible to establish a correlation between the level of technological expertise of a nation and its economic development. On the strength of the research results contained in this document, there does appear to be a definite correlation
between technology and economic development. This conclusion is further borne out by
studies, conducted by well respected researchers, which have reached a similar conclusion.
Having established the validity of this relationship, the question of whether South Africa is
positioned to take advantage of such knowledge is investigated. The study indicates that South
Africa is indeed in a situation whereby maximum advantage may be derived from the concept
of technologically driven economic development. This finding may be taken one step further
in that, in reality, South Africa has very little choice but to adopt a strategy of economic
development driven by technology. As a result, it is found that economic success in South
Africa is to a large degree dependent on the ability of the government and other relevant
bodies to establish and sustain a comprehensive, coherent and practical programme of
technologically driven economic development.