Challenges facing SMEs in the adoption of ICT in B2B and B2C E‐commerce

Purpose – Companies and government departments, as well as non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) in developing countries, are trying to adopt information and communication technology (ICT) in their daily activities. Among these companies are small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) which are also trying to get on board. However, these SMEs are faced with myriad challenges in the adoption of ICT. The purpose of this paper is to compare the challenges faced by SMEs in both Ghana and Botswana. Statistical inferences have been drawn that conclude that there are similarities in the challenges faced by these two countries, but also there are surprising differences between them. Design/methodology/approach – Targeted SMEs in both Botswana and Ghana were approached with a carefully designed questionnaire. Top ranking staff, such as Directors/Managers/CEOs, were asked to fill the questionnaires. Data collected were captured and analyzed using SPSS ANOVA and 2‐t Pearson correlations. Findings – The results indicate that both Botswana and Ghana share a number of challenges, but also surprisingly there are a number of differences in the way SMEs perceive their problems in these two developing countries. For instance, both agree that frequent power disruption is a hindrance to SMEs in their adoption of ICT, but that SMEs do not consider lack of technical know‐how to be a hindrance. Originality/value – The paper seeks to bring to light the comparative challenges facing two developing countries in Africa. Most papers are on individual countries, but this one seeks to compare Ghana and Botswana.