Pacific Digital Economy Programme (PDEP)

Leaving no one behind in the digital era

Across many Pacific Island Countries, geographic isolation, limited connectivity, fragmented markets, and low levels of digital and financial inclusion continue to restrict access to economic opportunities and essential services. While digital technologies and digital financial services present significant opportunities to overcome these barriers, many communities remain at risk of being left behind.

The Pacific Digital Economy Programme (PDEP) was established to address these challenges by supporting countries to build more inclusive, resilient, and people-centered digital economies. Since its launch in 2021, the programme has expanded from five to 11 Pacific Island Countries, supporting regional and national efforts to accelerate digital transformation, and inclusive economic development.

PDEP works with governments, regulators, financial institutions, private sector partners, development organizations, and communities to ensure that digital transformation creates opportunities for all. It focuses particularly on women, youth, rural communities, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and underserved populations.

The programme’s work is structured around four interconnected areas.

First, PDEP supports governments and regulators to strengthen policies, regulations, and institutional frameworks that enable safe, inclusive, and sustainable digital economies. This includes support for National Financial Inclusion Strategies, National E-Commerce Strategies, fintech and digital economy policies, consumer protection reforms, cybersecurity and data protection frameworks, and digital economy assessments.

Second, PDEP works with financial institutions, mobile network operators, fintechs, and ecosystem partners to strengthen digital financial infrastructure and expand access to digital financial services. This includes support for mobile money ecosystems, cross-border remittances, merchant and agent networks, government digital services, and interoperable payment systems.

Third, the programme supports inclusive innovation and entrepreneurship by working with startups, MSMEs, innovation hubs, accelerators, and ecosystem partners, to pilot and scale digital solutions that respond to local challenges and create economic opportunities across the Pacific.

Finally, PDEP supports digital and financial literacy initiatives that help Pacific communities safely and confidently participate in the digital economy. This includes community awareness initiatives, curriculum integration, literacy research, and targeted training programmes for women, youth, MSMEs, and rural communities.

Since 2021, PDEP has supported a wide range of regional and country-level initiatives that are contributing to inclusive digital transformation across the Pacific. So far, PDEP-supported digital financial services have onboarded more than 375,000 new users across Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. Meanwhile major ecosystem initiatives such as Solomon Islands’ M-SELEN platform and regional mobile money expansion projects have significantly increased access to digital financial services in underserved communities.

PDEP currently supports regional and national initiatives across the Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

Explore UNCDF's work in the Pacific