DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ERA IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The study investigated the digital transformation of small and medium scale enterprises in the covid-19 pandemic era in Anambra State. Two research questions guided the study. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised 2,502 managers of SMEs in Anambra State. The sample of the study was 750 managers of SMEs determined through stratified random sampling. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire developed by the researcher. The instrument was validated by three experts in education. The reliability of the instrument was ascertained through a trial test. The application of the Cronbach Alpha reliability method for the two clusters yielded coefficient values of .82 and .88 for clusters 1 and 2 respectively with an overall reliability co-efficient of 0.85. Data for the study was analyzed using mean and standard deviation. Findings revealed that employees require soft skills (good communication skills, ability to work in a team, taking responsibility for action and being proactive in decision making among others) and specific skills (ability to work with technology, knowledgeable about trends in the business and ability to manage the business online environment among others) for digital transformation of SMEs in the Covid-19 pandemic era in Anambra State. Further findings revealed that funding digital research and development, expanding adoption of digital consumer tools like e-commerce and digital payments, facilitating access to financial services, improving mobile internet affordability, fostering environments friendly to innovation in new technological areas and training and retaining of professionals with digital skills are some of the conditions necessary for promoting the digital transformation of SMEs in the Covid-19 pandemic era in Anambra State. The researcher therefore recommends among others that managers of small and medium scale enterprises should organize training and retraining programmes that will equip employees with the necessary digital competences needed to conduct businesses with digital tools in the Covid-19 pandemic era.

Keywords: Digital Transformation, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, Covid-19, Era