{"id":1287,"date":"2025-10-01T14:48:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T11:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/journal\/?post_type=article&#038;p=1287"},"modified":"2025-12-08T16:03:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T13:03:10","slug":"digital-readiness-and-institutional-development-in-sub-saharan-africa-a-descriptive-approach-to-exploring-its-impact-on-small-and-medium-enterprises-smes","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/journal\/article\/digital-readiness-and-institutional-development-in-sub-saharan-africa-a-descriptive-approach-to-exploring-its-impact-on-small-and-medium-enterprises-smes","title":{"rendered":"Digital Readiness and Institutional Development in Sub-Saharan Africa A Descriptive Approach to Exploring Its Impact on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-left is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-1 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-container-content-1\" style=\"font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-weight:300\"><strong>Publisher: <\/strong>Qira&#8217;at Afriqiyah Magazine<strong><br>Issue:<\/strong> 66, October 2025<br><strong>ISSN<\/strong>: 2634-131X<strong><br>Year :<\/strong> 21<strong><br>Pages: <\/strong>62-77<strong><br>Author<\/strong>: Dr. Muhammad Zakaria Fadl &#8211; Central Africa<br><a href=\"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/\u062a\u0623\u062b\u064a\u0631-\u0627\u0644\u0628\u0646\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u062a\u062d\u062a\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0631\u0642\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0639\u0644\u0649-\u062a\u0646\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0634\u0631\u0643\u0627\u062a-\u0627\u0644\u0635\u063a\u064a\u0631\u0629-\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0645\u062a\u0648\u0633\u0637\u0629-\u0641\u064a-\u0625\u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u064a\u0627-\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628\u0627-\u0644\u0635\u062d\u0631\u0627\u0621-.pdf\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"38\">Download pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized is-style-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/\u062a\u0623\u062b\u064a\u0631-\u0627\u0644\u0628\u0646\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u062a\u062d\u062a\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0631\u0642\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0639\u0644\u0649-\u062a\u0646\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0634\u0631\u0643\u0627\u062a-\u0627\u0644\u0635\u063a\u064a\u0631\u0629-\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0645\u062a\u0648\u0633\u0637\u0629-\u0641\u064a-\u0625\u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u064a\u0627-\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628\u0627-\u0644\u0635\u062d\u0631\u0627\u0621-.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1241\" height=\"1805\" src=\"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/\u062a\u0623\u062b\u064a\u0631-\u0627\u0644\u0628\u0646\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u062a\u062d\u062a\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0631\u0642\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0639\u0644\u0649-\u062a\u0646\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0634\u0631\u0643\u0627\u062a-\u0627\u0644\u0635\u063a\u064a\u0631\u0629-\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0645\u062a\u0648\u0633\u0637\u0629-\u0641\u064a-\u0625\u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u064a\u0627-\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628\u0627-\u0644\u0635\u062d\u0631\u0627\u0621-.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1268\" style=\"width:200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/\u062a\u0623\u062b\u064a\u0631-\u0627\u0644\u0628\u0646\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u062a\u062d\u062a\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0631\u0642\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0639\u0644\u0649-\u062a\u0646\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0634\u0631\u0643\u0627\u062a-\u0627\u0644\u0635\u063a\u064a\u0631\u0629-\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0645\u062a\u0648\u0633\u0637\u0629-\u0641\u064a-\u0625\u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u064a\u0627-\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628\u0627-\u0644\u0635\u062d\u0631\u0627\u0621-.jpg 1241w, https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/\u062a\u0623\u062b\u064a\u0631-\u0627\u0644\u0628\u0646\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u062a\u062d\u062a\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0631\u0642\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0639\u0644\u0649-\u062a\u0646\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0634\u0631\u0643\u0627\u062a-\u0627\u0644\u0635\u063a\u064a\u0631\u0629-\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0645\u062a\u0648\u0633\u0637\u0629-\u0641\u064a-\u0625\u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u064a\u0627-\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628\u0627-\u0644\u0635\u062d\u0631\u0627\u0621--206x300.jpg 206w, https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/\u062a\u0623\u062b\u064a\u0631-\u0627\u0644\u0628\u0646\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u062a\u062d\u062a\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0631\u0642\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0639\u0644\u0649-\u062a\u0646\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0634\u0631\u0643\u0627\u062a-\u0627\u0644\u0635\u063a\u064a\u0631\u0629-\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0645\u062a\u0648\u0633\u0637\u0629-\u0641\u064a-\u0625\u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u064a\u0627-\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628\u0627-\u0644\u0635\u062d\u0631\u0627\u0621--704x1024.jpg 704w, https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/\u062a\u0623\u062b\u064a\u0631-\u0627\u0644\u0628\u0646\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u062a\u062d\u062a\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0631\u0642\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0639\u0644\u0649-\u062a\u0646\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0634\u0631\u0643\u0627\u062a-\u0627\u0644\u0635\u063a\u064a\u0631\u0629-\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0645\u062a\u0648\u0633\u0637\u0629-\u0641\u064a-\u0625\u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u064a\u0627-\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628\u0627-\u0644\u0635\u062d\u0631\u0627\u0621--768x1117.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/\u062a\u0623\u062b\u064a\u0631-\u0627\u0644\u0628\u0646\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u062a\u062d\u062a\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0631\u0642\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0639\u0644\u0649-\u062a\u0646\u0645\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0634\u0631\u0643\u0627\u062a-\u0627\u0644\u0635\u063a\u064a\u0631\u0629-\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0645\u062a\u0648\u0633\u0637\u0629-\u0641\u064a-\u0625\u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u064a\u0627-\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628\u0627-\u0644\u0635\u062d\u0631\u0627\u0621--1056x1536.jpg 1056w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1241px) 100vw, 1241px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\" style=\"text-align: justify; padding: 15px 15px;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: 'andale mono', monospace; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 50px;\"><a name=\"abstract\"><\/a>Abstract:<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace; font-size: 14pt;\"><bdo dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><br \/><\/bdo>   This study seeks to analyze the level of digital readiness across five Sub-Saharan African countries\u0648 Mauritius, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Senegal\u0648 and explore its potential implications for the development environment of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Adopting a descriptive\u2013analytical approach, this study employs the Mobile Connectivity Index (MCI) developed by the GSMA, which comprises four standardized dimensions: infrastructure, affordability, consumer readiness, and content and services. The study utilizes a time series spanning 2014\u20132023 and applies tools, including descriptive statistics, trend and gap analysis, correlation matrix, and inferential reading, to examine the indirect relationship between digital readiness and institutional empowerment. The findings reveal significant disparities among countries and indicator dimensions, with consumer readiness and local content emerging as the factors most strongly correlated with the overall index. The study concludes with a call for integrated digital policies that reflect local institutional contexts and prioritize investments in skills and knowledge ecosystems, rather than focusing solely on physical infrastructure.\n<\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pages: 62-77<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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