ICT possession among Congolese SMEs: an exploratory study

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possession of information and communication technologies (ICTs) among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the developing economy of the Democratic Republic (DR) of the Congo.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of Congolese SMEs in two major cities was conducted.

Findings

The results of the study demonstrate that nearly 51 percent of SMEs in the sample reported a cell phone number, making this tool the most popular among SMEs studied. In total, 31 percent of SMEs reported an e-mail address while only 3 percent of them reported having a firm web site. Far <1 percent reported a fax number, while none of the SMEs in the sample used a fixed telephone line. The telecommunications sector demonstrated the highest rate of ICT usage. The findings give consistency to what the body of research has concluded relative to the use of mobile telephone by SMEs in developing economies.

Originality/value

This study fills a gap in the research into ICT usage by SMEs in developing countries by analyzing a sample of SMEs in the DR Congo ever attempted.

Citation

D. Kabongo, J. and O. Okpara, J. (2014), "ICT possession among Congolese SMEs: an exploratory study", Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 313-326. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-10-2013-0143