How do we both close the digital divide and capitalise on the growth of the global digital economy?
Thirty-seven percent of the global population, representing 3 billion people, are currently not digitally connected. In the next decade, seventy percent of global economic value will be generated by the digital economy, prompting urgent action on how to accelerate the digital transformation and create an inclusive digital society.
The Tonga National Digital Innovation Launchpad (NDIL) is designed as a technology accelerator to build local capacity to implement digital projects and solutions that will benefit the majority of its citizens. Thereby creating a digitally empowered society.
The NDIL is supported by a Collective of partners which includes three innovative Malaysian tech companies—ReGov Technologies/myBID, Sancy Berhad and Mobiva. They will provide their technology, product suites and seed-financing to support local innovators to develop viable digital projects that are built on their technology platform including decentralised digital identities, personal data wallets, health management systems & medical records, and disaster relief monitoring and management. The Griffith Asia Institute (GAI) is supporting the NDIL as the capacity building, policy advisory and impact monitoring partner.
Unleashing business growth in Tonga through digital transformation
As part of the NDIL, Griffith University—through GAI—is pleased to be supporting Tonga’s digital ambitions through a study on business growth in Tonga, leveraging its expertise in strengthening inclusive economic development in the Asia Pacific to support the functioning of the NDIL, and its replication to other Pacific island economies.
The findings of this project will inform future initiatives for the program. The project will examine the factors influencing the growth of large businesses and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Tonga in the context of digital technology. Through a combination of semi-structured interviews and surveys, the project team will collect data for analysis from a range of local stakeholders. Input will be sought from various businesses varying in size from micro enterprises to large enterprises. A broad representation of sectors and businesses will be sought, from technical services to agriculture; local manufacturing to tourism.
Objectives
The objectives of the project are to:
- Examine how Tonga’s MSMEs grow through different institutional intermediaries (government agencies, microfinance organisations, local suppliers, and others) and identify the key intermediaries that Tongan businesses—both formal and informal—employ to generate new business opportunities.
- Identify opportunities for businesses to grow using digital technology/digital business models, and provide targeted and clear problem statements in providing digital solutions that are specific to key intermediaries.
- Understand the challenges of key intermediaries in providing digital services to business end users, and examine the support required from different levels of intermediaries (e.g. industry associations may require support from government agencies).
Program partners and supporters
