The inclusive digital economy scorecard (IDES) is a policy tool to help governments set the priorities for their countries’ digital transformation. It identifies the key market constraints hindering the development of an inclusive digital economy and helps to set the right priorities with public and private stakeholders, to foster a digital economy that leaves no one behind.

This aspiration further aims to mainstream technology as an agent of change that should unlock opportunities to support smaller island communities of Tonga, thereby resulting in efficiencies and cost effective ways to motivate participatory and inclusive development across key sectors. Such opportunities include e-learning, e-health services, scale up of energy solutions to reach all Tongans, and improved linkages between the population living in dispersed islands across the nation.

More specifically, the Government of Tonga launched the Tonga Digital Government Strategic Framework (2019-2024)1, a strategic plan that articulates and visions a digitally enabled government where government ministries and agencies adopt and use information communication and technologies (ICT) to promote inter-governmental collaboration, transition away from a paper-based government, and promote efficient government service delivery to citizens of Tonga.

The question of measuring, monitoring, and evaluating progress of these digital transformation goals remained silent. Therefore, the government of Tonga and UNCDF partnered to implement the Inclusive Digital Economy Scorecard (IDES) toolkit to measure and track Tonga’s digital transformation, and identify the key market constraints and “low hanging fruit” areas for government intervention to accelerate and meet their digital transformation agenda. This report will provide the digital landscape of Tonga, with data sets collected and analysed in the year 2023.