The Health and Education sector will soon receive ICT and digital equipment to extend their connectivity in the digital space.

This will be made possible with the new $1.6m funded DIRECCT – Digital Response for connecting citizens, “Supporting the Pacific close the Digital Divides in response to COVID-19” project which was launched today at the South Pacific Commission in Nabua.

The European Union Ambassador to Fiji and the Pacific, Sujiro Seam says the need for improvement enabled them to act.

“In the Pacific, digital connectivity is lagging behind, it’s not as easy, here in the Pacific as it is in Europe let’s say to make the most out of the opportunities provided by digital options.”

Deputy Director-General for the Pacific Community Doctor Paula Vivili says this aims to increase a country’s infrastructure support and capacity building.

“SPC’s Public Health team will be supporting this capacity building in areas of surveillance, in laboratories, infection, prevention and control, and the idea is to bring this divide a little bit closer.”

The project will be carried out for two years and is supported by European Union, the Organization of African, the Caribbean, the Pacific States, and The French Development Agency.

The eight developing Pacific Island countries benefiting from this project include Fiji, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Niue, Solomon Island, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.