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The research work sets out to investigate the relationship between Information and Communication Technology and SMEs in Benin-City. The specific objective of the study are to determine extent to which accessibility of ICT resources affect SMEs in Benin-City, to identify the ways the effective utilization of ICT affect SMEs performance in Benin-City, to examine the roles of ICT towards improving SMEs’ capabilities in Benin-City. A survey research method was adopted and used in collecting data from manufacturers, retailers/wholesalers, agrobusiness owners, providers of food services and medical services. Descriptive statistics, which involves the use of percentage ratio, averages, mean and standard deviation, correlation and regression analysis was used to analyze the data gotten through questionnaire. The results revealed that; ICT has a significant impact on performance of SMEs in Benin City; there is a significant and positive impact ICT has on SMEs’ performance; ICT plays a great role in improving performance of SMEs in Benin City.
Recommendations made include that SMEs should invest in regular training programs for their employees to keep them updated with the latest ICT tools and technologies. This would ensure that the workforce is well-equipped to leverage these tools effectively. Institutions and government agencies can collaborate to organize workshops and seminars focused on the latest ICT trends relevant to SMEs, the government should prioritize the development and maintenance of robust ICT infrastructure, ensuring that SMEs have access to reliable internet and other essential ICT resources. Public-private partnerships can be explored to boost the ICT infrastructure in regions where SMEs operate, financial institutions should introduce special loan or grant schemes aimed at helping SMEs invest in ICT tools and infrastructure. The government can offer tax incentives or rebates to SMEs that show a consistent effort in integrating and upgrading their ICT tools, SMEs should be educated about the importance of cybersecurity. They should be encouraged to adopt secure practices and invest in cybersecurity tools to protect their data and systems, and SMEs should establish a feedback mechanism where employees and customers can provide insights on the ICT tools being used. This would help in identifying areas of improvement.
