LocationsBy Zoe Victoria Tate; Country Coordinator, Pacific Digital Economy Programme Solomon Islands
Building Confidence, Boosting Growth: Digital and Financial Literacy in Solomon Islands
August 3, 2025
In rural Solomon Islands, women entrepreneurs are eager to embrace digital financial services (DFS) as tools to grow their businesses, but many remain hesitant to make the transition. Recent training sessions by the Solomon Islands Women in Business Association (SIWIBA), supported through the United Nations, revealed a striking juxtaposition: while interest in DFS is high, gaps in infrastructure, digital literacy, and understanding of formal business requirements continue to hold many back.
This untapped potential underscore both the promise and the challenges of driving inclusive participation in the country’s evolving digital economy.
The government and the private sector, with support from the Pacific Digital Economy Programme (PDEP), continue to roll out vital digital tools: such as the Inland Revenue Division’s (IRD) e-tax platform, the Solomon Islands National Provident Fund’s (SINPF) YouSave and Mobilefund, and Our Telekom’s M-SELEN mobile money service. As a result, it has become clear that nationwide digital and financial literacy are key to meaningful participation.
The Ministry of Finance and Treasury, through the IRD, has partnered with PDEP, that is administered by the UN Capital Development Fund, UN Development Programme and UN Conference on Trade and Development, and SIWIBA to raise national awareness around available digital and financial services. These systems are not just transactional: they open doors to business formalization, access to credit, and long-term economic empowerment.
Participants presenting during the training.
UNDP
The three UN agencies have supported SIWIBA to deliver targeted trainings throughout the provinces, starting in Munda, Tulagi, Buala, and Kirakira to 300 participants. Women entrepreneurs, including market vendors, cocoa farmers, canteen operators, and M-SELEN agents, gathered to learn the basics of digital and financial services, explore local providers, and discuss how these tools can support their business journeys.
Despite these efforts, the digital divide remains a real challenge. In Tulagi, fewer than half of participants had access to a mobile phone. Meanwhile, in Kirakira, where cocoa drives economic activity, the appetite for digital services and literacy is much higher. Training sessions were tailored to these local realities, with SIWIBA focusing on hands-on skills like resetting PINs, understanding how YouSave works, and identifying trustworthy agents.
The training revealed not only strong interest, but also untapped potential. Many women expressed a desire to join YouSave.. Others were eager to understand the SINPF’s MobileFund digital loan product embedded in the M-SELEN wallet. Still, hesitations remain around registering businesses and dealing with taxation. For many, the formal economy feels out of reach, and gaps in literacy make compliance seem daunting. These insights are helping shape a more responsive approach. SIWIBA’s modules now include peer-to-peer coaching and localized delivery strategies.
This early work confirms an important truth: inclusion cannot happen without literacy. A single model will not reach everyone. The next step is to build out a tiered framework for digital and financial education, supported by trusted local champions and a national campaign that uses a mix of media, languages, and community outreach.
This is not just about using new tools; it is about laying the groundwork for business formalization, improving access to finance, and helping women build credit histories that will one day enable them to access real SME financing.
This work is in support of SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.
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