Foreword

Respected reader, you have a treasure in your hands in the name of “Digital Transformation in African SMEs: Emerging Issues and Trends”. While technological advancements play a role in digital transformation, more technological tools may be even more crucial. Some SMEs are able to complete a digital transformation faster and at much less expense to the firm than others because they have the capacity to build trust in their systems. This book is written for and about digital transformation in Africa. The editors’ expertise qualifies them for this good project. They have extensive experience in the field and have spent many years researching the challenges and successes of digital transformation for businesses. Furthermore, they have an intimate understanding of the motivations of these top brass. I agree with the writers that the emphasis should be on technology, people, and performance as the means by which an organization deals with digital disruption. According to my studies, effective digital transformation necessitates adjusting the dynamics of a business and the way its employees perform their duties. There is no sign of a halt to digital disruption any time soon, and it is likely that the typical worker will face multiple waves of disruption over the course of their lifetime. The authors considered digital tools such as social media, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, IoT, AI, and ML for SMEs. When it comes to relevance, factors influencing the adoption of online shopping and its influence on consumers’ intention to shop online are key. The gap between industry leaders and laggards may be rising if these businesses are increasingly reporting and investing time, money, and energy on initiatives to develop these components of their culture. For most SMEs in Africa, I simply believe that changing an organization's leadership, talent, culture, and organization strategy all at once can be a disruptive and inefficient process and that focusing solely on the technological parts of digital transformation is missing out.