The Future is Digital April 2021
Digitalization is one of the main challenges that Sudanese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face today. To provide digital solutions and prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, SMEs need to acquire the necessary skills.
Because of the sanctions, SMEs in Sudan operated in isolation from the rest of the world. Sudanese businesses weren’t able to access so of the most common websites and services creating a pretext for not keeping up with the latest trends. Despite the market volume and business growth opportunities, most SMEs continue to lag even after the lifting of the sanctions. Failure to adapt to the changing times would eventually lead these businesses outside of the market.
Digital transformation presents SMEs with an extraordinary opportunity. However, to be able to reap these benefits businesses need to invest in honing their digital skills.
The inevitable shift from simple digitization to innovation based on combinations of technologies (the Fourth Industrial Revolution) is urging us to reexamine the way we do business. The main message is the same: business leaders and entrepreneurs in Sudan need to understand the shifting environment, and relentlessly and continuously innovate and hack.
The world as a whole is rapidly digitizing. In order for SMEs to actively participate in this digital revolution and prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, they need access to digital skill sets to sustain conditions needed for continued growth during and post the pandemic.
Honing Digital Skills In Action
Earlier this month, Savannah and in partnership with USAID selected 25 micro-enterprises from Darfur to be trained in digital marketing. The group was divided into two different cohorts. The first cohort included 9 female-led microenterprises. These enterprises were trained on digital marketing, branding best practices, market segmentation, and good accounting practices, all tools needed to succeed while navigating e-commerce platforms. The end goal is for these micro-enterprises to expand their outreach penetrating new markets and hence increasing their revenues.
April Journal
- In the second episode of “The Story Behind Innovations in Agriculture” we sat down with Abubakar Omar.
Abubakar Omer is a Business Development Specialist, with an interest in agriculture and passion on the topic of food security in Sudan.
Abubakar is currently working on a project that is trying to help tackle the challenges associated with food security within Sudanese communities.
To see the recorded interview check out our Facebook page.
- Elmuontasir has come together with the Muse Multi Studios and Savannah Innovation Labs to present TRUSONA.
“Growing up in a religious home with a Sufi Islamic background, my work is concerned with identity and the issues related to it within a multi-cultural community structure and also deals with the identity of an individual with multiple and changing realities and how this individual defines himself in the context of daily life.”
The gallery will be opening on Saturday, May 1st from 8:30pm-11pm and going to till May 8th.
Suggestion of the Month
We briefly touched on the incoming fourth industrial revolution and its importance and effects on SMEs. For more information, check out this informative article by the World Economic Forum found here!
Our podcast recommendations for this month are centered on the digital economy and disruptive innovation in the ecosystem.
Podcast recommendations:
The EIU Digital Economy podcast is a monthly series examining the technologies, ideas and people driving the digitisation of the global economy. Sponsored by DXC, the podcast aims to help business leaders understand the way in which digital technology affects their companies, their teams, and their careers.
The FYI – For Your Innovation Podcast offers an intellectual discussion on recent developments across disruptive innovation—driven by research, news, controversies, companies, and technological breakthroughs. Hosted by ARK Invest, ARK and guests provide a unique perspective on how to best understand disruptive innovation.
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