SUCCESS STORIES OF ICT ADOPTION BY NIGERIAN SMES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

The preventive measures implemented to combat the spread of deadly coronavirus around the world have caused significant business disruptions. Many businesses that had, before the pandemic, thought that the use of Information and Communication Technology was a luxury realised that it is a necessity; especially with the lockdown implemented. This research investigated the success stories of the use of technological tools by Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Nigeria during the pandemic and presented policy recommendations to improve further use of technological tools in the Nigerian business sphere for national development. Five SMEs were purposively selected and used as case studies to determine the success stories of ICT utilisation during the pandemic. SMEs owner/managers were interviewed to get qualitative data, and lessons learnt from the stories were presented. Success factors were extracted, and policy suggestions were made based on them. Based on the findings, this study recommends that the government collaborates with the private sector which is the umbrella body for most SMEs, to advance major investments in infrastructures that will make the use of ICT accessible, affordable and secure.