Digital transformation of small and medium enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review

Abstract

The economic activities of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) drive much of the region’s economic growth and development. Despite their importance, SMEs tend to fail in their first two years of operation compared to macro enterprises. Digital transformation (DT) of organisations fosters resilience; however, DT of SMEs in SSA has been slow because of several impediments. The objective of this article is to establish how SMEs in the context of SSA can develop comprehensive strategies for integrating digital technologies into their operations to build resilience. Arksey and O’Malley’s systematic scoping review (SR) is used to identify and map articles over a 5 year period using inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 44 articles were included for in-depth analysis to address the issue under investigation. The results indicate toward economy-based, market-based and sociotechnical contextual factors emerging as themes that impede DT of SMEs in the SSA region. In the SSA context, SMEs face numerous regional constraints that create barriers in their operations, such as limited access to profitable and value-added markets.Transdisciplinarity Contribution: To develop strategies for integrating technologies, it is critical to have a thorough understanding of SMEs’ operational context. This is vital if SMEs in the SSA region are to fully realise the transformative potential of integrating digital technologies into their business operations and gain long-term resilience. Through digitally enabled resilience, SMEs can continue to play their critical role in the economic growth and development of the SSA region.

Re-engineering local economic development through SMMEs post-COVID-19 in rural municipalities

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Accelerating SME growth in the African context: Harnessing FinTech, AI, and cybersecurity for economic prosperity

“…The impact of technological innovations, such as information and communication technology infrastructure, on financial deepening has been examined, with implications for SME financing in Africa (Adegbite & Govender, 2021). Furthermore, the digital transformation of SMEs in sub-Saharan Africa is seen as a strategy for building resilience and ensuring continued growth (Achieng & Malatji, 2022).…”

Avances en la transformación digital de las MiPymes impulsadas por la pandemia COVID-19

“…La transformación digital es considerada un proceso de cambio cultural que impacta, a nivel organizacional, en todas las dimensiones: estructura organizacional, personas, cultura, procesos, sistemas de innovación, relaciones externas y contexto organizacional (Polo y Magalhães, 2016;González, 2017;Achieng y Malatji, 2022). Este proceso es un factor clave en el crecimiento y la obtención de éxito para las empresas (E&Y, 2013;Riascos, Aguilera y Romo, 2023).…”