The Survival of the Fitter - Lives of some African engineers (Paperback)

This volume traces the development of Ghana's informal engineering section through stories of the progress of the actual people involved. The first generation of grassroots engineers are wayside vehicle mechanics, or "fitters", engaged in repairing imported machinery. The author argues that the evolution of the fitter from this role to that of a manufacturer of tools, machines and equipment serving a wide range of "secondary" urban and rural industries is central to progress in engineering, and that engineering - and engineers - are central to the develoment of an economy.;The book charts the progress of the men and women who have been able to make this transformation, with the assistance of the Technology Consultancy Centre and the Intermediate Technology Transfer Unit. It shows that all progress depends upon the human factor; on the people with the courage, the entrepreneurial qualities and the skill eneded to pioneer any new industrial and commercial activity. All this the author sets in the context of the national and international economies, the policies of development agencies - and the slowly evolving background of social infrastructure and skills.