Assessing Digital Solutions Adoption in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in DRC
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47941/ijce.2180Keywords:
SME, Business, Integration, Digitization, Data, ICT, CongoAbstract
Purpose: This study assesses the adoption of digital solutions in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Methodology: A Kobocollect survey was conducted in 13 cities across the DRC over a one-month period, collecting data from 459 SMEs. The sample comprised 18.53% of individual SMEs led by women, 60.13% owned by men, and 21.35% led by associations.
Findings: The results show that only 15.03% of respondents consider ICT and digitization to be a new topic, while 75.16% of companies' systems are not digitized. However, 68.85% of respondents are willing to integrate new technology into their business control systems by digitizing their accounting systems, with no significant difference observed across income ranges (p-value=0.107). Digital literacy of users is identified as a key factor influencing the adoption of digital solutions, which is facilitated by adapted solutions that meet SMEs' specific needs. Capacity building and system trustworthiness are also found to be important factors influencing adoption. Furthermore, belonging to a specific income range is found to influence the adoption of daily reporting systems and market pricing (p-value=0.107 and p-value=0.06363, respectively).
Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: The study highlights the importance of investing in SME digitization and the need for adapted solutions that meet management needs and price qualifications.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Amani Tsongo Ngoma, Betsalel Halimi, Betsalel Grimberg, Deema Watad, Suzanne Busara
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