SME Adoption of Enterprise Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Clarion Call to Action

This paper discusses the need for IS research with a focus on SME adoption of enterprise systems in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa. Previous IS research into general adoption in several developing countries have shown that local context play a significant role in the successful implementation of any information system. SMEs constitute a majority of all organizations in most Sub Saharan economies, thus their importance to the socioeconomic development and empowerment of the region cannot be overemphasized. However, the absence of literature and focused research into factors that influence enterprise systems adoption and use that are particular to this region represents a huge gap for both researchers and practitioners. This call to action paper will attempt to present the implications of this deficiency and outline areas where future research can be most beneficial to stakeholders.