How Important Are Engineers in Development?

Image Source: Cambridge University Center for Sustainable Development

I find few people seem to understand how important it is to have enough engineers in a developing nation. Just think about it:

Engineers design and manage the construction and maintenance of the transportation infrastructure: roads, railroads, ports and airports, not to mention pipelines.

Engineers are also responsible for the potable water and sewerage systems, including the urban systems for disposing of rain runoff.

They design and manage the electrical infrastructure including power plants.

They are responsible for the dams and irrigation systems.

They play a key role in the construction industry.

Electrical, mechanical and chemical engineers as well as industrial engineers are critical to the development of any advanced manufacturing industry.

Mining engineers manage the extraction of mineral resources, joined by petroleum engineers and hydrolics engineers in providing access to underground resources.

Engineers develop the telecommunications infrastructure, and they build the transmission towers for radio and television broadcasting.

A couple of years ago I was told that Uganda, a country with some 25 million inhabitants, had only 500 professional engineers. Is it to wonder that Uganda's ports are decrepit, most of its railroads no longer function, its electrical system provides too little electricity and has frequent blackouts, and its manufacturing industry is to use a euphemism, "challenged".

One problem faced by developing nations with weak engineering professions is how much of the limited engineering manpower should be invested in training the new generation of engineers. Another -- discouraging -- problem is how to assure that the nation utilizes all of the available engineers effectively to build and maintain the engineered infrastructure. And of course, a nation must find a way to keep the engineers it trains, which involves paying them a living wage and providing them with professionally rewarding work.