Kantanka To Lead An Industrial Automobile Revolution

Some purported technological moralists insist that Kantanka should have started more humbly with the manufacture of simple machines like motorbikes, tricycles or simple farm machines – tractors and combine harvesters – the blueprints of which undoubtedly the Kantanka Company would have built upon and owned. This approach, they claim, would have been more feasible since the capital and technology involved isn’t the hurdle that a sustainable and profitable car manufacturing plant ought to muster.

Arguments like this are particularly unconstructive.

Dilettantism—or propaganda masquerading as critique—as a leading principle in the advancement of technologies and economic policies of pragmatic importance to people will mark the end of valuable debate. Nothing will be further from a thoroughly serious analysis than such an attitude.

Almost all debates owe something to dilettantes, often very valuable viewpoints. For that reason, all dilettantism, local or foreign, is not necessarily bad – not all forms of it are tolerable either. To this point, what interests do non-African critics have in the politics of Kantanka or Ghanaian government affairs

The irony, of course, stands that the recent criticism against a Ghanaian auto manufacturer, Kantanka, on the grounds of originalism stems from a society and political ecology that is comfortable with skirting its own originalism for economic value; native production, design, and manufacturing in America are vanishing as most of American manufacturing is found in China. Rather than call Kantanka a foe, if anything, these faultfinders should fall in love with Kantanka – if they believe Kwadwo Sarfo is doing what America does best.

In any case, every time consumers are confronted with a counter narrative such as that of a Not-Made-In-Ghana product, they are more likely to opt against cars assembled in Ghana in favor of those assembled abroad, even if the former were to launch their own country into an industrial age.

Already Ghana imports some 50,000 vehicles yearly, which come at a dire expense to the everyday Ghanaian. Frankly, the details of where Kantanka cars are designed, built, and assembled are of little relevance to the average consumer who can now afford a vehicle for work.

It is comforting that the Ghanaian business class, much like the average consumer, is excited about this new company and has hailed Kantanka’s commercial exploits as an exemplary and important component in the quest to establish an industrial base in Ghana. At the very least, they see Kantanka as a first step in reengineering most of the technologies in current use in the country. Kantanka provides a much-needed template to ignite an industrial revolution from out of Ghana, out of West Africa and, perhaps, out of Africa.

If we should invest in Kantanka, we must be clear that the technology is here in Ghana to stay, that it is not a fleeting trifle and that it also adds value through local contribution.

Source: grandmotherafrica.com by Kantanka.net