‘TECHNOLOGY WILL ENHANCE SMES’ OPERATIONS’

that the knock-on effect of increased IP registration is economies that are 26 per cent more competitive and twice as likely to produce and export complex, knowledge-intensive products.

“SMEs are eager to adopt these digital services to improve their productivity. In South Africa, The State of Small Business report found that 78 per cent of small businesses surveyed choose accounting software to manage their financial records,” Uzomah said.

He, however, explained that the same report found that more than half of SMEs list internet access as their principal obstacle to adopting technology.

“The accessibility and success of these digital platforms depends on reliable access to electricity and the internet.

“In terms of connectivity, many African countries are still below the 20 per cent critical mass necessary to achieve improved efficiencies and information flows for economic growth and innovation.

“To tackle this, more investments into reliable infrastructure are needed. However, while infrastructure develops, innovation can help to bridge the gap.

“In Nigeria, ICE Commercial Power has introduced an off-grid, solar-powered solution to connect 10,000 SMEs to electricity. The solar grids are linked to a Microsoft cloud-computing platform, which enables remote maintenance of the equipment, thus reducing downtime and allows SMEs manage and pay for their electricity use as they go.”