Il Trasferimento tecnologico nell’edilizia africana, tra problematiche e opportunità.

We live in an age in which information and ideas travel faster than men, overcoming the constraints of borders and customs duties. Nowadays it is not realistic to think that the knowledge and the ability to use a wide range of solutions would not reach those countries that were once called “third world”, a definition which was inappropriate five decades ago as it is today. This diffusion of knowledge and building techniques is inevitable and it would be wrong to hold it back. On the other hand, it is necessary to ensure that communication and construction techniques concerning designing and building in Africa are not exclusive and unidirectional. The technical innovations do not have to delete the know-how which belongs to the history of a continent. We have illustrated the innovations emphasizing not only the virtues but also the problems related to it. There is the need for systems and communication networks, all kinds of communication and all kinds of experimentation must be made possible to optimize the exchange of information in order to achieve a more sustainable development. In this way, the technology transfer will not be understood as mere adoption of a building system in an environment where it was previously unknown and which is completely alien. Technology transfer will be the result of the understanding and the interpretation of a technical solution through its contamination and its enrichment with local technologies.