Editor, Refer to Kintu Mugabo’s letter, “We need schools of industries” (The New Times, August 6). Mr Mugabo’s wish is justified and timely. But, it remains just a wish, alas. The dominant paradigm we live in now, that of commercial market logic, wouldn’t allow what you wish for to happen. The “developed” side of the planet won’t train African engineers of tomorrow for your or these latter good. In the market logic, any direct or indirect investment, such as “schools of industry”, must yield substantial returns – and not to anyone else but the investor(s). Therefore, if your wish were to be realised, it would rather be in the way of accelerating the actual perennial dependence of Africans, the way in maintaining our status of eternal supplier of raw resources, both human and natural. In my view, what we Africans need, rather, it is those “schools of industries”, no matter how small they would be, but genuinely of our own creation, for our own good, with our own abundant resources. In our turn, that would be our true investment. François-Xavier Nziyonsenga, Rwanda
