African Public Sector Management (Public | 11 March 2005

Challenges and Opportunities for E-commerce Adoption by Egyptian SMEs 2005

N, o, u, r, a, A, l, -, M, a, s, r, i, ,, H, a, n, y, G, a, b, e, r, ,, A, m, i, r, a, F, a, k, h, a, r, ,, A, h, m, e, d, E, l, -, S, a, y, e, d
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18821093

Abstract

Egyptian SMEs have been slow to adopt e-commerce despite its potential benefits. A qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with 30 randomly selected SME owners/managers across Egypt. SMEs face significant costs (average $500 per month) and technical difficulties as major obstacles to e-commerce adoption, while perceived benefits include increased market reach (60%) and improved efficiency (45%). Egyptian SMEs are constrained by financial limitations and technological inadequacies in their e-commerce journey. Government should provide subsidies for SME e-commerce costs and develop digital literacy programmes to enhance skills among Egyptian entrepreneurs.