Success factors in technology transfer to SME's: Rundu woodwork common facility center

Recently, it has been argued that the diffusion of modern technology has far reaching impact on the economy, on quality of life and on the environment particularly in developing countries. However, there has been little emphasis on the factors and systems that promote and/or impede technology transfer in terms of contributions to economic wealth creation through improved technical application. The objective of this paper is to examine and present empirical evidence on factors that contribute to the successes and/or failures in technology transfer using a case of wood work. The case study presents the empirical evidence of the impact of technology transfer framework on an SME manufacturing enterprise at the northern town of Rundu, Namibia. The paper further defines the concept of technology transfer and reviews the Namibian government's policy and strategic framework for SME technology transfer in the private sector. Overall, the results support the view that internal factors, such as personal commitments, willingness to learn and competency, as well as external factors, such as access to a variety of services, strongly influence the success of technology transfer.