Global Digital Business Solutions was founded on a simple conviction — that every small business, regardless of where it operates, deserves intelligent guidance on its digital journey.
GDBS was founded by Zaina Jackline John, a PhD researcher at the University of Technology, Mauritius, whose doctoral research focuses on innovative digital technologies for MSME development. The research revealed a persistent, global gap: small businesses across the world — particularly in semi-urban and rural contexts — lacked any structured, accessible way to understand their digital position or receive meaningful guidance on how to improve it.
Rather than leaving that insight in a thesis, Zaina built a solution. The MSME Digital Maturity Navigator is both the commercial expression of that research and a tool that continues to generate the evidence base for advancing the field of MSME digital transformation.
GDBS is headquartered in Mauritius with a primary market focus across Africa and a vision to serve MSME ecosystems globally.
PhD Researcher · Innovative Digital Technologies for MSMEs
University of Technology, Mauritius
Zaina is a Kenyan researcher whose work sits at the intersection of digital transformation, inclusive innovation, and small business development. Her research investigates why MSMEs in underserved contexts struggle to go digital — and what it actually takes to help them succeed.
The MSME Digital Maturity Navigator is not a side project. It is the direct commercial expression of her doctoral work — meaning GDBS benefits from academic rigour, field data, and research credibility that purely commercial tools simply cannot match.
Her approach is grounded in a core belief: that building a tool which works for a rural MSME in Kenya means it will work anywhere in the world. Inclusive design is not a constraint — it is a competitive advantage.
"My PhD and my business are the same project. The data I collect makes the research stronger. The research makes the product more credible. They feed each other."
Whether you want to pilot the Navigator, explore a partnership, or just learn more — we'd love to hear from you.