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Good practice Imported

Pacific Girls in ICT Day — Connecting Remote Island Digital Hubs Through AI Literacy, from Vanuatu to Nauru

Vanuatu · Port Vila · See the Vanuatu profile · See the Port Vila profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 77% 40/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Launched in Port Vila in 2024, the Pacific Girls in ICT Day programme reached 2,000+ girls and 500+ boys across seven Pacific nations; its 2025 edition added an AI-literacy session via 'Smart Islands' digital hubs on remote atolls in Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga

2,000+
Girls reached, first cycle (May-Dec 2024) (2024)
500+
Boys reached, first cycle (May-Dec 2024) (2024)
620+ girls, 490 boys
Nauru participants (2024)
600+
Kiribati girls (2024)
520 girls, 20 boys
Federated States of Micronesia participants (2024)
344
Papua New Guinea girls (2024)
54 girls, 9 boys
Samoa participants (2024)
51 girls, 23 boys
Tonga participants (2024)
82 students (71 girls, 11 boys)
2025 Digital Hub session participants (16 July 2025)
Pacific Girls in ICT Day — Connecting Remote Island Digital Hubs Through AI Literacy, from Vanuatu to Nauru

Details

Maturity
Scaling
Promoter
Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA), ITU, APNIC Foundation
Period
2024–2025
Keywords
AI & digital literacy, girls' education, telecommunications, remote/island connectivity

Context

The Pacific Girls in ICT Day programme launched on 2 May 2024 at the Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA) AGM in Port Vila, Vanuatu, led by PITA with the ITU, the Pacific Telecommunications Council, UN agencies and national governments, backed by the Asian Development Bank, the EU, Australia and Japan.

Activities

Over its first 7-month cycle (May-December 2024) the programme reported 2,000+ girls and 500+ boys taking part across the region, including 620+ girls and 490 boys in Nauru, 600+ girls in Kiribati, 520 girls and 20 boys in the Federated States of Micronesia, 344 girls in Papua New Guinea, 54 girls and 9 boys in Samoa, and 51 girls and 23 boys in Tonga. The 16 July 2025 edition connected 'Smart Islands' Digital Hubs on remote atolls — South Malekula (Vanuatu), Maprik (PNG), Hunga/Vava'u (Tonga), Jaluit Atoll (Marshall Islands), Tonoas (Micronesia), Rotuma (Fiji) and Tamana (Kiribati), plus a new Nauru hub — reaching 82 students (71 girls, 11 boys) and their teachers via ITU Zoom, with a session from AI Brain Lab (partnered with the Asian Institute of Technology) alongside existing cybersecurity/data-science content from Cisco.

Results

The AI-specific content remains a single seminar-length add-on rather than a sustained curriculum, and no independent learning-outcome evaluation has been published.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k)
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years)
Staffing & skills
Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA) coordination, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) technical/event delivery (Zoom sessions), AI Brain Lab (partnered with the Asian Institute of Technology) for AI session content, Cisco for cybersecurity/data-science content, National governments across participating Pacific nations

Conditions for success

  • Multi-stakeholder backing (ITU, ADB, EU, Australia, Japan)
  • Remote 'Smart Islands' Digital Hub infrastructure to reach students on disconnected atolls
  • Gender-disaggregated reach reporting to track equity

Common failure modes

  • AI-specific content is a single seminar-length add-on rather than a sustained curriculum

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Data sources

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