03 October 2003 The Numbers Game Technology achievement mirrors general development Source: National Advisory Council for Innovation: Key Facts and Figures 2002

SA's science and technology policy is largely directed at growth and the improvement of the quality of life for all. But the link between a country's state of development and its overall science and technology is indirect, so the extent of its technology development may offer a more sensitive measure of its general development. The technology achievement index (TAI) developed by the UN Development Programme allows countries to be compared in terms of technological achievement. The graphic on the right summarises the TAI for SA and three relevant comparator countries: South Korea, Malaysia and Australia. The graphic provides a visual representation of the performance of each country for the different components of the index. The results put South Korea and Australia among the "leader" countries, but still some way behind Finland which is at the top of the index; Malaysia among "potential leaders"; and SA among "dynamic adopters" along with Uruguay, China, Tunisia, Indonesia and India. At the bottom of the index is Mozambique.