Page 24 - IB April 2025

ICT

PACIFIC DIGITAL

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

“The digital economy is not just about IT jobs or selling was due to significant subsidies for smartphone costs. He
goods. It is about selling skills and services. It is about suggested other Pacific Island countries may want to emulate
ensuring that talented Pacific Islanders have a choice: the this.
choice to build a future at home, to contribute to their However, Prasad dampened expectations around the impact
communities, and to play an active role in their country’s of 5G on business at least in the shorter term, flagging access
economic growth.” to regular power as a requirement, and challenge in making
That was the rallying cry of Pacific Islands Forum Deputy this upgrade. He says this will require significant investment
Secretary General, Desna Solofa, at the launch of the Pacific in power supply and infrastructure by state utilities and
edition of the Digital Economy Report 2024 recently. potentially, international partners.
But what are the barriers to digital entrepreneurship and Safety online also featured heavily in the discussion. Asia
development in the Pacific? Foundation program manager Krystelle Lavaki addressed what
A panel of entrepreneurs and experts have identified not she said are some misconceptions around digital natives - the
only the difficulties and opportunities in this sector, but also generations that have been using digital devices since early
general concerns around social equity and protection. childhood.
As a startup, Ticketmax founder George Fong described “Just because they have the mantle of digital natives
the difficulties of finding a bank willing to accept credit card doesn’t mean they are skilled enough to understand the
payments on his platform as one of the major obstacles at the complexities and some of the big risks that are involved
start. with the digital world. So yes, getting everyone online, but
He added that understanding consumer behaviour in the also ensuring that the most tech-savvy of our population are
local market was a second challenge, as many people have no equipped with critical thinking skills.”
experience with using a credit card or online platforms to pay The Digital Economy Report identified gaps in sustained
for services. training and tailored guidance for digital entrepreneurs, which
“I had to build a solution with simplicity in mind. A lot of meant they relied heavily on informal and peer networks for
platforms offer a ton of features, [and] a lot of flexibility, but support.
that flexibility creates complexity. I used my father who is It notes that securing finance remains difficult for these
almost 80 years old. With him, you have a very limited time businesses, which might not have tangible assets and so
before the hands go up in defeat and [he] says ‘I just don’t struggle to meet collateral requirements.
want to do this online.’ So I think that was very important, The report further suggests that establishing a regulated
designing it for the local market.” environment can improve transparency and accountability,
Vodafone Fiji’s General Manager - Digital Financial Services, build trust amongst entrepreneurs and consumers, and
Shailendra Prasad, said Fiji’s high rate of mobile phone strengthen the entrepreneur ecosystem.
penetration and growing digital entrepreneurship activity

Photo: (L-R) George Fong (Ticketmax), Shailendra Prasad (Vodafone Fiji), Aneth Kasebele (UNCDF), Chad Morris (UNCTAD), Krystelle Lavaki (Asia
Foundation) and Sajib Azad (UNDP).

24 Islands Business, April 2025