Employing the Digitization in Sudanese Higher Education institutions to Enhance the Decision Making Process: Challenges and Barriers

Abstract: This study aims to explores the challenges and barriers impeding the employment of digitization to enhance decision-making processes in Sudanese higher education institutions. Due to expedite Proliferation of digital technologies, the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) with traditional management operations has become vital for organizational transformation, which results in informed and efficient decision-making. The study utilized a quantitative methodology, gathering data from 198 employees across Sudanese higher education institutions through structured questionnaires to investigate the managerial and financial, technological, and social challenges and barriers. Quantitative analytical techniques, such as descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and simple linear regression were employed the findings reveals statistically significant impacts across the three challenges and barriers dimensions. The study hypotheses were tested using correlation and simple regression test, the result reveals a strong relation between the dependent variable and independent variables. The results also indicate that managerial challenges and barriers such as strategic discontinuity, limited ICT competencies, and budgetary constraints explain 67% of the changes in digitization employment (R² = 0.669). Technological challenges and barriers, including infrastructure incompatibility and poor internet coverage, account for 70% of the changes in digitization employment (R² = 0.700), while social challenges and barriers including low digital literacy and resistance to change, explain 71% in digitization employment (R² = 0.707). These findings underscore the necessity for strategic planning and infrastructure development to fully utilize the digitization in managerial decision-making.