Indonesia, PNG join 50-in-5 as digital public infrastructure push expands

Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) have joined the 50-in-5 campaign, a global initiative supporting the deployment of digital public infrastructure (DPI) across the Global South. The move links both countries’ digital identity, payments and data exchange programs to a growing international effort aimed at accelerating trusted and interoperable digital government services.

Indonesia brings its Identitas Kependudukan Digital (IKD) digital identity platform to the initiative, while PNG joins with its emerging SevisPNG ecosystem, which includes the SevisPass digital ID, SevisWallet and government data exchange infrastructure. Both countries are building integrated DPI ecosystems that combine digital identity, payments and data exchange to support digital government services.

PNG, first country from Oceania to get membership

A statement by the campaign on May 29 announced PNG’s membership, stating that the move is reflective of the country’s “strong commitment to ensuring that digital transformation creates meaningful impact for citizens’ everyday lives.”

In his remarks, the country’s Secretary for the Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Steven Matainaho, said: “Papua New Guinea’s participation in the 50-in-5 initiative demonstrates our commitment to accelerating digital transformation and building trusted, inclusive, and interoperable Digital Public Infrastructure that improves service delivery for all Papua New Guineans.”

He added that “through SevisPNG, we are laying the foundation for a connected digital government ecosystem that will enhance accessibility, transparency, efficiency, and innovation across government services.”

PNG’s digital transformation efforts are steadily advancing with the country building DPI aimed at facilitating government processes and allowing citizens easier access to public and private sector services.

Under the SevisPNG program, the government has launched a digital ID dubbed SevisPass, a wallet SevisWallet, a data exchange platform SevisDEX, a government payment gateway SevisPay and a digital government platform SevisPortal. The government has developed the necessary legal foundation to support these digital infrastructures.

The campaign said its objectives fully align with PNG’s “broader national priorities around digital inclusion, public sector modernisation, financial inclusion, economic participation, cybersecurity resilience, and improved citizen access to government services.”

Indonesia’s membership shows commitment

In another announcement, the campaign said the country’s membership indicates the government’s awareness of the importance of DPI for the lives of the country’s estimated 280 million people.

“People do not experience government through technical terminology; people experience government through moments. The moment public services become easier during difficult times. The moment an elderly citizen no longer feels exhausted navigating bureaucracy. The moment a mother in a rural village no longer needs to spend her daily income simply to process administrative documents for her family,” Rini Widyantini, First Vice Chair of the Committee for the Acceleration of Government Digital Transformation, said of the importance of DPI.

He added: “For Indonesia, digital public infrastructure is not merely about connecting systems. It is about ensuring that government becomes more humane, more responsive, and more present in people’s lives.”

Indonesia’s DPI includes a digital ID known as the IKD, as well as digital payment and data exchange platforms which facilitate the delivery of government and private sector services.

The country is also planning to massively invest in digital infrastructure in the coming years as part of a government ambition to boost economic growth.

With their membership, Indonesia and PNG will have the opportunity to collaborate with other countries in order to strengthen their DPI programs.

The 50-in-5 campaign

With Indonesia and PNG joining, the initiative now includes 37 countries seeking to accelerate deployment of interoperable digital identity, payments and data exchange systems as foundations for digital government and economic inclusion.

The 50-in-5 campaign, which is supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank, some governments and other Identity for Development (ID4D) advocates and funders, was launched in November 2023 to add traction to ongoing global efforts in the development of DPI.

It was initiated on the belief that peer collaboration, experience sharing and co-creation, can enable nations surmount some of the challenges they face in building safe, inclusive and interoperable DPI ecosystems.

Article Topics

50-in-5  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  digital public infrastructure  |  Indonesia  |  Papua New Guinea  |  UNDP  |  World Bank