The use of ICTs in Namibia’s SME sector to access business information services

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to present current state of the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Namibia’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) sector to access business information services. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a doctoral research project on business information needs, seeking patterns and utilisation of ICTs in the SME sector in Namibia that was carried out at the University of Pretoria from 2005 to 2007. The survey methodology using both qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed to collect data. Findings – The findings revealed that there is a very low level of ICTs utilization among SMEs while among business support organisations it is relatively high. Practical implications – The study presents baseline data that can be used by governments and business support organisations in the provision of ICTs to the SME sector to access business information services. Originality/value – The study provides data on which future developments in ICTs in the SME sector could be based. Keywords Small to medium-sized enterprises, Information services, Communication technologies, Namibia, Internet Paper type Research paper