The Survival of the Fitter

This book traces the development of Ghana's informal engineering sector through stories of the progress of the actual people involved. The first generation of grassroots engineers are wayside vehicle mechanics, or 'fitters', engaged in repairing machinery. The author argues that the evolution of a fitter, from this role to that of a manufacturer of tools, machines and equipment serving a wide range of 'secondary' urban and rural industries, is central to progress in engineering, and that engineering and engineers are central to the development of an economy.