The rise and prosperity of nations throughout history has been inextricably linked to technology, and this remains true today. Countries, companies and people must embrace and seize on technological benefits to ensure their resilience, sustainability and competitiveness into the future, Nile University founding president and Graduate School of Technology Management dean Dr Tarek Khalil told Engineering News.

Speaking during the reception of an honorary doctorate from Nile University's local collaborator, the University of Pretoria, he emphasised that technology was progressing at an unprecedented pace.

While this was a widely accepted and commonly held opinion, the significance of the rate and scope of change must be recognised and acted upon, he said.

“Technology has always been the primary driver of human progress and, therefore, people who embraced technology and move with changes were the ones who more readily achieved prosperity and resiliency,” Khalil said.

For example, gross domestic product per capita increased significantly, almost exponentially, during the Industrial Revolution as technical knowledge spread alongside industries and productive facilities. This continued through the subsequent technological disruptions that created the second, third and fourth industrial revolutions, and continue to define the world.

Read more. Society must embrace technological change to secure its future, Engineering News, 16 May, 2023