Factors affecting the adoption of information technologies by small woman-managed enterprises in Cameroon

Abstract

Women’s entrepreneurship is of key importance to the development of countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Thus, several measures have been implemented to support women in developing their enterprises, including via information technology (IT). The purpose of this research is to identify the factors leading to the adoption of IT by women entrepreneurs in Cameroon. We extended the technology–organization–environment (TOE) theoretical framework to include a fourth category, the characteristics of the female managers. Both partial least squares (PLS) and partial least squares multigroup analysis (PLS-MGA) approaches are applied to a sample of 85 small, woman-managed Cameroonian firms located in several cities. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire. Our results indicate that the adoption of IT by woman-managed enterprises is mainly influenced by the innovativeness spirit of the manager. Surprisingly, none of the TOE variables were found to be significant. Small firms in SSA may believe they are too small to benefit from costly IT investments. Further, the relative advantage and the perceived cost of technology are not significant factors. Because small firms primarily rely on subsidies for their technological equipment, they may be less concerned about the cost–benefit dimensions of IT. Training programs and an increase in networking are advisable.