Resource-based competencies and digital maturity: a synergistic approach to enhancing SME operational efficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract Although digital maturity offers transformative potential for SMEs, many in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) fail to realise proportional efficiency gains due to weak internal competencies. This study examines how resource-based and dynamic capabilities interact with digital maturity to enhance operational efficiency. Guided by an integrative theoretical framework that combines the Resource-Based View (RBV), Dynamic Capabilities Theory (DCT), the Technology–Organisation–Environment (TOE) framework, and complementary behavioural and institutional perspectives, the study employs a predictive cross-sectional design using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Data were collected from 9,826 SMEs across thirteen SSA countries. The findings reveal that digital maturity significantly improves operational efficiency, with innovation capability and strategic alignment as mediators. Agility and institutional pressure amplify the digital–efficiency relationship. The study offers a contextualised, empirically validated model for SME digital transformation in resource-constrained environments. Though internal competencies and top-management support do not significantly moderate the digital-performance nexus, agility and institutional pressures amplify the transformative impact of digital maturity. SME digital strategies should prioritise capability development alongside technology deployment. Policymakers should design supportive regulatory and capacity-building frameworks, while technology vendors and financial institutions align products with firms’ absorptive capacities and agility levels. This study offers a novel, empirically validated model of SME digital transformation tailored to low-resource, high-uncertainty environments. By conceptualising digital maturity as a dynamic, capability-driven process, it advances theory and provides actionable insights for strategic capability building in digitally evolving SMEs. JEL Classification: L25, L26, M25, O31, O33