Harnessing digital marketing to access markets : opportunities for Africa's SMEs

Several public and private sector-led initiatives have been implemented to help unleash SMEs' potential as the engine of Africa's socio-economic prosperity and sustainability. Notwithstanding the potential benefits of these initiatives, SMEs failure rates, in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa, remain unacceptably high as evidenced by prior studies that reveal that 70% to 90% of SMEs fail within their first year of operations, primarily due to lack of finance and market access. Technological advancements and their swift diffusion amongst companies in Africa have created several business opportunities for SMEs to access markets at a low cost and, hence, to increase their competitiveness as well as generate enduring profits for themselves. This paper explores how digital marketing channels can be harnessed by Africa's SMEs in order for them to access local, national, regional and global market opportunities.