Given that one of the main obstacles facing SMEs is their inability to determine
their information needs, access the information, and evaluate and subsequently use it,
the issue of capacity building in SMEs should be of critical concern to governments.
Internationally, capacity building is increasingly being perceived by governments as
vital to getting SMEs to participate in the global economy. Emphasis is being placed
on education and training, particularly on including ICT as both a classroom tool and
a subject. Within the European Union, the eEurope initiative encourages capacity
building by investing in people skills, while in North America, the US and Canada
have focused more on creating awareness among businesses of the benefits of ICTs.
Canada has a Student Connection Programme that focuses on training university
students as business advisors for SMEs. In the Caribbean, the government of Jamaica
has invested heavily in education to meet the labour needs of this century. Within
the South African Development Community’s (SADC) member states, intention has
also been mooted by regional governments to strengthen tertiary education at both
regional and local level to foster the area’s ICT and skills base.