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      Why now

      Demand isn't the problem. Delivery is.

      Across The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Malta, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Eastern Caribbean and beyond, citizens are already online and expecting government to work like their favorite apps — fast, mobile-first and easy.

      What stands in the way isn't appetite. It's infrastructure, capacity and affordability — fragmented legacy systems, stretched budgets, connectivity gaps and mounting climate and cyber risk.

      The report maps exactly where island governments stand today, what's driving transformation, and the pillars that make it real.

      Scuba Diver explores Coral Reef in Tropical Sea
      Government digital transformation is a real opportunity to lean into the power of small islands & developing states as a collective, to reflect on and shape the digital development agenda.

      World Economic Forum

      Current state

      Three pressures defining island government

      The report unpacks each with the underlying trends. Here's the shape of it.

      hub

      Operational challenges

      Legacy systems and manual workarounds slow decisions and frustrate citizens — while missing digital public infrastructure keeps services siloed.

      • Fragmented Systems
      • Skills Gaps
      • Limited or no use of Digital Public Infrastructure
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      Economic and resource constraints

      Tourism-heavy revenues are volatile, and remoteness means partial broadband coverage at high cost — widening the urban-rural digital divide.

      • Narrow economic bases
      • Connectivity gaps

       

      troubleshoot

      Rising risks and expectations

      Citizens expect app-grade services; climate events threaten infrastructure; and digitising without robust cyber and privacy frameworks creates new exposure.

      • Citizen Expectations 
      • Climate Risk
      • Cyber Security
      Transformation is not digitizing old processes. It's a new governance model — competent, transparent, citizen-centric, efficient and robust.
      Chirag Khare

      The framework

      Five pillars. Twenty sub-pillars. One playbook.

      Government transformation is enabled through five interconnected pillars that collectively support resilient, citizen-centric and future-ready governments. Select a pillar to learn more.

      People
      Pillar 1 of 5

      Enabling citizens and civil servants through digital literacy, upskilling, trust and public engagement.

      - Digital literacy for citizens
      - Skilled government workforce
      - Trust in digital government
      - Civic engagement

      Connectivity
      Pillar 2 of 5

      Countrywide broadband, secure networks and cloud infrastructure that expand access across the population.

      - National broadband and 5G
      - Rural/remote island connectivity
      - Cloud and data centres
      - Access enablers

      Systems and services
      Pillar 3 of 5

      Reformed systems and e-governance platforms for competent, transparent citizen-service delivery.

      - E-governance platforms
      - Leadership and strategy
      - Implementation capacity
      - Digital public services

      Regulation
      Pillar 4 of 5

      Strong foundations for cybersecurity, data protection and responsible technology governance.

      - Cybersecurity frameworks
      - Data protection laws
      - Emerging technology governance
      - Climate resilience

      Economy
      Pillar 5 of 5

      Innovation through public-private partnerships and a sustainable digital economy.

      - Digital economy enablement
      - Innovation ecosystem
      - Public-private partnerships
      - Standards of responsibility

      People

      Pillar 1 of 5

      Enabling citizens and civil servants through digital literacy, upskilling, trust and public engagement.

      - Digital literacy for citizens
      - Skilled government workforce
      - Trust in digital government
      - Civic engagement

      Connectivity

      Pillar 2 of 5

      Countrywide broadband, secure networks and cloud infrastructure that expand access across the population.

      - National broadband and 5G
      - Rural/remote island connectivity
      - Cloud and data centres
      - Access enablers

      Systems and services

      Pillar 3 of 5

      Reformed systems and e-governance platforms for competent, transparent citizen-service delivery.

      - E-governance platforms
      - Leadership and strategy
      - Implementation capacity
      - Digital public services

      Regulation

      Pillar 4 of 5

      Strong foundations for cybersecurity, data protection and responsible technology governance.

      - Cybersecurity frameworks
      - Data protection laws
      - Emerging technology governance
      - Climate resilience

      Economy

      Pillar 5 of 5

      Innovation through public-private partnerships and a sustainable digital economy.

      - Digital economy enablement
      - Innovation ecosystem
      - Public-private partnerships
      - Standards of responsibility

      Framework adapted from UNDP's DigitalTransformation Framework, 2024.

      five pillars

      Inside the report

      What you will takeaway

      A concise read, built for island decision-makers — grounded in ITU, UNDP, UNCTAD and UN DESA research plus KPMG member-firm delivery experience.

      The operational, economic and risk pressures — and what they mean in practice.

      From data governance and DPI to interoperability, accountability and open standards.

      Concrete moves for each of the 20 sub-pillars: what to build, mandate and measure.

      The headwinds against every pillar — so you can sequence around them.

      Education and skilling, urban development, eGovernment, frameworks and standards, and public financial management.

      Seychelles, Fiji, Maldives, Malta and across the Caribbean.

      Download the report

      Government transformation in small islands and developing states

      Download the report

      Talk to our team

      chirag-khare
      Chirag Khare

      Director, Technology & Transformation, Head of Government & Public Sector Advisory

      KPMG in The Bahamas

      Nico Maritz
      Nico Maritz

      Partner, Head of Technology & Transformation Advisory

      KPMG in The Bahamas

      Simon Townend
      Simon Townend

      Head of Advisory for The Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, and Cayman Islands

      KPMG in The Bahamas

      Christopher Brome
      Christopher Brome

      Office Managing Partner, Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean and Head of Advisory, KPMG in Caricom

      KPMG in Barbados

      Mark Ashburn
      Mark Ashburn

      Partner, Advisory

      KPMG in the Crown Dependencies

      Troy Dort
      Troy Dort

      Director, IT Advisory

      KPMG in Bermuda

      Steve Stivala
      Steve Stivala

      Director, Advisory - Infrastructure, Public Policy and Strategy

      KPMG in Malta

      Michael Outar
      Michael Outar

      Chief Operating Officer and Business Development Director

      KPMG in Guyana