Fiji: national digital ID plan advances, ecommerce strategy launches

Fiji’s upcoming national digital identity will not only streamline access to vital services but also empower citizens by giving them access to reliable and secure identification, Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica said last Friday during the inaugural meeting of the National Identification (ID) Steering Committee. The Committee has approved a plan to draft legislation supporting the country’s digital ID system.

Meanwhile, the government has also been working on launching its “National E-commerce Strategy,” which includes not only boosting digital infrastructure but also cross-border digital economy. Fiji has been working with Australia’s Pacific Digital Economy Program on using critical ecommerce data to increase its capacity to adapt to digital trade rules, according to the Fijian Broadcasting Corporation (FBC).

The ID Steering Committee has been working on establishing the digital ID system since the South Pacific country’s cabinet approved the project in June last year. The first phase of the project includes a digital Know Your Customer (eKYC) system for the Reserve Bank of Fiji, designed to streamline customer onboarding and verification.

During last week’s inaugural meeting, the group discussed creating a unified and accessible identification that enhances access to healthcare, finance and education as well as crucial social welfare programs. Almost a third of Fiji’s population lived below the poverty line in 2019.

“Experts agree National ID should be a single proof of identity,” says Justice Minister Siromi Turaga. “Digital IDs are an effective tool against poverty and a critical piece of digital public infrastructure. Using a digital ID reduces the unnecessary collection of identity information, where people provide physical copies of their identity documents over and over.”

The digital ID, designed to serve Fiji’s 924,000 inhabitants, will take at least three years to complete. The project is being developed with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the government of Japan.

Last week, Permanent Secretary for Trade Shaheen Ali invited businesses to embrace digital trade, adopt ecommerce and explore new markets.

“The private sector usually leads innovation. This is evident in initiatives like M-PiAISA, MyCash, and platforms like Viti Cart,” says Ali.

M-PiAISA and MyCash are popular payment apps while Viti Cart is an online retail service owned by Vodafone Fiji.

This post was updated at 4:25pm Eastern on March 4, 2025 to clarify the name of the E-commerce Strategy

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  digitalFIJI  |  Fiji  |  financial inclusion  |  national ID  |  social protection