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| To view the entire transcript & video from this speech: www.emeagwali.com |
| Philip Emeagwali |
Excerpted from a keynote speech delivered by Philip Emeagwali
in Tucson, Arizona.
"Oil has made us billions and fuelled our economic stability, but
oil has also become the bane of our existence. For some, it is a
curse that has caused poverty and corruption, but for others it is
an essential source of untold wealth and power. But as the gap
between rich and poor countries continues to expand, it is clear
that intellectual capital and technology rule the world, and that
natural resources such as oil, gold, and diamonds are no longer
the primary determinants of wealth.
Surprisingly, nations with few natural resources demonstrate
greater economic growth rates than OPEC countries. Japan’s
economic growth, driven by technological superiority, outpaces
that of Saudi Arabia; South Korea is growing faster than oil-rich
Nigeria; and Taiwan’s economy has moved well beyond that of oil-
rich Venezuela. The United States and Norway are also rich in oil,
yet their staggering economic growth comes from intellectual
capital.
In reality, it is not money but intellectual capital that drives
prosperity. More important, perhaps, is the reality that poverty
is driven and sustained by a lack of intellectual capital.
in Tucson, Arizona.
"Oil has made us billions and fuelled our economic stability, but
oil has also become the bane of our existence. For some, it is a
curse that has caused poverty and corruption, but for others it is
an essential source of untold wealth and power. But as the gap
between rich and poor countries continues to expand, it is clear
that intellectual capital and technology rule the world, and that
natural resources such as oil, gold, and diamonds are no longer
the primary determinants of wealth.
Surprisingly, nations with few natural resources demonstrate
greater economic growth rates than OPEC countries. Japan’s
economic growth, driven by technological superiority, outpaces
that of Saudi Arabia; South Korea is growing faster than oil-rich
Nigeria; and Taiwan’s economy has moved well beyond that of oil-
rich Venezuela. The United States and Norway are also rich in oil,
yet their staggering economic growth comes from intellectual
capital.
In reality, it is not money but intellectual capital that drives
prosperity. More important, perhaps, is the reality that poverty
is driven and sustained by a lack of intellectual capital.
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| "Technology Widens Rich-Poor Gap" by Philip Emeagwali |
The intimate relationship between intellectual capital and economic growth is as old as humanity itself, and is
well illustrated by this parable from ancient Babylon (modern-day Iraq). A man asked his children:
“If you had a choice between the clay of wisdom or a bag of gold, which would you choose?”
“The bag of gold, the bag of gold” the naïve children cried, not realizing that wisdom had the potential to earn
them many more bags of gold in the future.
Seven thousand years later, Iraq — the cradle of civilization — has its own private bag of gold as it sits perched
atop the world’s third largest oil reserves. Meanwhile, Israel, tucked away in the hostile terrain of a barren
desert, has the clay of wisdom — the weightless wealth of intellectual capital embodied in the collective mind of
its people.
The striking economic gap that persists between rich and poor nations has increased sevenfold over the past
century to what is now an all-time high. The accumulation of intellectual capital by rich nations has helped
broaden this gap because it has enabled them to control technology and collect hidden taxes from less affluent
nations. For instance, Nigeria pays a 40-percent “royalty” tax on its petroleum revenues to foreign oil
companies that are ripping out its family jewels — the huge store of wealth in its oilfields. These oilfields
started forming when prehistoric, dog-sized humans — our common ancestor with the apes — walked African
grasslands on four legs.
It’s a shocking reality, but the deep oil reserves laid down by Mother Nature millions of years ago and
nurtured through the millennia in Africa have been whittled away within decades. And, for the dubious
privilege of surrendering its natural resources forever, Nigeria is required to pay half its petroleum revenue in
the form of “royalties” to the rich kids on the global block, the United States and the Netherlands. That oilfield
has been exchanged for a bowl of porridge, and the black gold that should serve the underserved in Nigeria is
helping wealthy Westerners get wealthier.
Today, half the world’s population — three billion people — live on an average of $500 a year. In contrast, Bill
Gates earns $500 every second. By controlling technology and taxing computer users, Gates has become
wealthier than each of the 70 poorest nations on earth and using his financial might has conquered more
territory than Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great combined.
While Bill Gates is the new millennium’s Prince of Technology, he is by no means the first to have taken on the
huge potential offered by the realm of technology. The Romans used roads and military technology to expand
their empire. And, for centuries, Britain ruled a quarter of the Earth due to its unparalleled ability to command
maritime technology and conquer the Seven Seas.
Britain undoubtedly established itself as the world’s first superpower through its rapid and ruthless colonial
expansion program. The British raised the Union Jack over Canada and Australia, India and Hong Kong, Egypt
and Kenya, and countless other countries — even the United States. The Union Jack cast its shadow in every
global time zone, giving rise to the saying, “The sun never sets on the British Empire,” a fact that was cold
comfort to the colonized nations.
In the same way, the United States has embraced its technological supremacy, both offensively and
defensively, to build its own global empire without a physical presence in any of its “colonies.” The sole
remaining superpower is at the forefront of every major technological advancement, which it has used to
become deeply embedded in three-quarters of the globe. The US has accomplished a virtual economic
colonization manifesting its presence throughout the globe by harnessing the power of technology and
capitalizing on its clay of wisdom.
Africa’s inability to realize its potential and embrace technology has left it at the mercy of the West. The time
has come for Africa to seize the day and resist the efforts of America and others to leave their imprint and
plunder its natural resources.
Numerous examples throughout history support the idea that technology can be used as a tool of oppression.
And there’s little doubt that America’s technological advancement has allowed it to exploit natural resources
around the world. This is particularly evident in Africa, where the US is exploiting oilfields beneath the pristine
rainforest — and being rewarded with a 40-percent tax at the expense of the African people. This lends
credence to history’s assertion that those who control technology oppress those who do not, eventually
enslaving them and, finally, wielding power around the globe.
Nigerian-born Philip Emeagwali won the 1989 Gordon Bell Prize, the Nobel Prize of
supercomputing. He has been extolled as “one of the great minds of the Information Age” and as
"the Bill Gates of Africa" by former US president Bill Clinton.
well illustrated by this parable from ancient Babylon (modern-day Iraq). A man asked his children:
“If you had a choice between the clay of wisdom or a bag of gold, which would you choose?”
“The bag of gold, the bag of gold” the naïve children cried, not realizing that wisdom had the potential to earn
them many more bags of gold in the future.
Seven thousand years later, Iraq — the cradle of civilization — has its own private bag of gold as it sits perched
atop the world’s third largest oil reserves. Meanwhile, Israel, tucked away in the hostile terrain of a barren
desert, has the clay of wisdom — the weightless wealth of intellectual capital embodied in the collective mind of
its people.
The striking economic gap that persists between rich and poor nations has increased sevenfold over the past
century to what is now an all-time high. The accumulation of intellectual capital by rich nations has helped
broaden this gap because it has enabled them to control technology and collect hidden taxes from less affluent
nations. For instance, Nigeria pays a 40-percent “royalty” tax on its petroleum revenues to foreign oil
companies that are ripping out its family jewels — the huge store of wealth in its oilfields. These oilfields
started forming when prehistoric, dog-sized humans — our common ancestor with the apes — walked African
grasslands on four legs.
It’s a shocking reality, but the deep oil reserves laid down by Mother Nature millions of years ago and
nurtured through the millennia in Africa have been whittled away within decades. And, for the dubious
privilege of surrendering its natural resources forever, Nigeria is required to pay half its petroleum revenue in
the form of “royalties” to the rich kids on the global block, the United States and the Netherlands. That oilfield
has been exchanged for a bowl of porridge, and the black gold that should serve the underserved in Nigeria is
helping wealthy Westerners get wealthier.
Today, half the world’s population — three billion people — live on an average of $500 a year. In contrast, Bill
Gates earns $500 every second. By controlling technology and taxing computer users, Gates has become
wealthier than each of the 70 poorest nations on earth and using his financial might has conquered more
territory than Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great combined.
While Bill Gates is the new millennium’s Prince of Technology, he is by no means the first to have taken on the
huge potential offered by the realm of technology. The Romans used roads and military technology to expand
their empire. And, for centuries, Britain ruled a quarter of the Earth due to its unparalleled ability to command
maritime technology and conquer the Seven Seas.
Britain undoubtedly established itself as the world’s first superpower through its rapid and ruthless colonial
expansion program. The British raised the Union Jack over Canada and Australia, India and Hong Kong, Egypt
and Kenya, and countless other countries — even the United States. The Union Jack cast its shadow in every
global time zone, giving rise to the saying, “The sun never sets on the British Empire,” a fact that was cold
comfort to the colonized nations.
In the same way, the United States has embraced its technological supremacy, both offensively and
defensively, to build its own global empire without a physical presence in any of its “colonies.” The sole
remaining superpower is at the forefront of every major technological advancement, which it has used to
become deeply embedded in three-quarters of the globe. The US has accomplished a virtual economic
colonization manifesting its presence throughout the globe by harnessing the power of technology and
capitalizing on its clay of wisdom.
Africa’s inability to realize its potential and embrace technology has left it at the mercy of the West. The time
has come for Africa to seize the day and resist the efforts of America and others to leave their imprint and
plunder its natural resources.
Numerous examples throughout history support the idea that technology can be used as a tool of oppression.
And there’s little doubt that America’s technological advancement has allowed it to exploit natural resources
around the world. This is particularly evident in Africa, where the US is exploiting oilfields beneath the pristine
rainforest — and being rewarded with a 40-percent tax at the expense of the African people. This lends
credence to history’s assertion that those who control technology oppress those who do not, eventually
enslaving them and, finally, wielding power around the globe.
Nigerian-born Philip Emeagwali won the 1989 Gordon Bell Prize, the Nobel Prize of
supercomputing. He has been extolled as “one of the great minds of the Information Age” and as
"the Bill Gates of Africa" by former US president Bill Clinton.