VIS 2026VIS 2026 — Virtual Island Summit|Also: GSIS 2027GSIS 2027
Island Innovation Logo
About
Services
The Network
Events
Content Library
Contact Us

Subscribe to our newsletter. By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy.

Island Innovation

Island Innovation works with governments, institutions, and partners worldwide to support island-led sustainable economic development.

We Support The UN Development Goals

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
SDG 13: Climate Action
SDG 14: Life Below Water
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Explore

AboutServicesNetworkEvents

Content

ArticlesNewsCareers

Ready to Connect?

Join the island innovation community

Get in Touch

About

  • About us
  • Case Studies
  • FAQs
  • Press
  • Careers
  • Contact

Services

  • Services Overview
  • Public & Media Relations
  • Strategic Communications

Network

  • The Island Network
  • Academic Council
  • Newsletter

Events

  • Our Events
  • Watch Past Events

Content

  • All Content Library
  • Videos
  • Articles
  • News
Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceContactManage email preferences

© 2025 Island Innovation. All rights reserved.

    News

    Curated stories and analysis from islands and sustainability leaders worldwide.

    Filter by Core Theme

    All ThemesCircular EconomyClimate ActionConnectivity & DigitizationCulture & CommunityEnergy & TransportGreen Finance & EconomyOcean & BiodiversityPolicy & GovernanceTourism & Remote WorkWater & Food
    Showing 9 of 126 news items in Connectivity & Digitization
    Innovation Born of Necessity: How Islands Like Tuvalu Are Shaping the Future of Digital Nationhood
    Connectivity & DigitizationFebruary 4, 2026

    Innovation Born of Necessity: How Islands Like Tuvalu Are Shaping the Future of Digital Nationhood

    Excerpt from multipolitan.com When Tuvalu announced it would become the world’s first digital nation in the face of rising sea levels, many viewed it as a symbolic act of cultural preservation. But this bold move signalled something deeper: a reimagining of what statehood, sovereignty, and continuity can look like in the digital age. For Small Island Developing States (SIDS), where the climate crisis is not a future threat but a daily reality, innovation has become a strategy for survival. We sat down with James Ellsmoor, Founder and CEO of Island Innovation, to discuss how islands are redefining sovereignty, governance, and resilience through digital transformation. From Tuvalu’s leap on digital migration to the broader lessons of community-driven innovation, James shares why islands - often seen as vulnerable - may, in fact, hold the blueprint for the future of the state.

    Read more
    12345678910
    DigiPlus Foundation brings digital learning hub to remote Ticao Island
    Connectivity & DigitizationMay 21, 2026

    DigiPlus Foundation brings digital learning hub to remote Ticao Island

    Excerpt from tribune.net.ph The DigiPlus Foundation has opened the first PLUS Center for Technology on Ticao Island in Masbate, bringing modern digital learning facilities to one of the country’s most remote and underserved island communities. The new center was established at the Liceo de San Jacinto Foundation (LSJF), the only educational institution on Ticao Island offering programs up to the tertiary level. LSJF serves nearly 90 percent of the island’s student population, including around 400 junior and senior high school students and 2,200 college students.

    Read more
    Island Innovation: How Sanjay Maniku Is Reinventing Paradise
    Connectivity & DigitizationNovember 16, 2025

    Island Innovation: How Sanjay Maniku Is Reinventing Paradise

    Excerpt from forbes.com In 1972 Sanjay Maniku's uncle allowed 15 Italian backpackers to stay on his coconut plantation. This experiment birthed the entire Maldivian tourism industry, now the country's economic lifeline. Today, as managing partner of Pulse Hotels & Resorts, the 45-year-old oversees properties ranging from The Nautilus, an ultra-luxury 26- residence private island resort, to Kandima Maldives, a 270-villa resort engineered for modern families. But his most bold project might be helping rewrite Maldivian law itself, making paradise accessible to non-billionaires for the first time.

    Read more
    AI-generated disinformation tactics spotted ahead of COP30
    Connectivity & DigitizationNovember 10, 2025

    AI-generated disinformation tactics spotted ahead of COP30

    Excerpt from manilatimes.net WASHINGTON, D.C. — A clip said to show massive flooding in the Amazonian city hosting the UN climate summit is just one widely-shared example of how disinformation, cheaply created by artificial intelligence and circulating on social media, is influencing perceptions of COP30. A new report released Thursday by the Coalition Against Climate Disinformation (CAAD) finds despite increasing support for policies to address climate change, the persistence of online falsehoods, supercharged by AI, help sustain an undercurrent of hostility towards science.

    Read more
    Singapore issues greenwashing guidelines for businesses
    Connectivity & DigitizationOctober 13, 2025

    Singapore issues greenwashing guidelines for businesses

    Excerpt from eco-business.com Singapore’s competition watchdog has published new guidance to curb misleading environmental and product claims, a practice known as greenwashing. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS) released its guide on Monday, outlining five principles for businesses to follow when making claims about the qualities, uses or benefits of their products. These include ensuring claims are accurate, clear, meaningful, evidence-based and sufficiently substantiated.

    Read more
    Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for educational reform and workforce development: the case of the Cayman Islands
    Connectivity & DigitizationOctober 13, 2025

    Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for educational reform and workforce development: the case of the Cayman Islands

    Excerpt from tandfonline.com This article examines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on education and workforce development in small island territories, with a particular focus on the Cayman Islands. As a British Overseas Territory and sub-national island jurisdiction (SNIJ), the Cayman Islands functions as a de facto Commonwealth country due to its constitutional relationship with the United Kingdom. Using a mixed-method approach, the research integrates quantitative analysis of labour market trends with qualitative assessments of global policy frameworks, implementation strategies and regional collaborations. The article explores AI’s potential to enhance educational outcomes while addressing workforce gaps within the unique socio-economic and cultural dynamics of the Caribbean. It proposes a strategic framework to guide Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and sub-national island jurisdictions (SNIJs) facing similar challenges in economic development and labour market adaptation. By emphasising early AI adoption, ethical considerations and regional cooperation, the article advocates for the development of resilient, future-ready workforce equipped to navigate an increasingly AI-driven global economy.

    Read more
    Greece Boosts Ferry Subsidies to €167 Million, Launches New Island Initiatives
    Connectivity & DigitizationOctober 13, 2025

    Greece Boosts Ferry Subsidies to €167 Million, Launches New Island Initiatives

    Photo credit: Maritime Ministry via News.GTP.gr Excerpt from News.GTP.gr Greece has increased funding for ferry connections to its remote islands to 167 million euros in 2025, supporting 77 routes and strengthening vital links for small communities. During the Panhellenic Small Islands conference, Deputy Maritime Minister Stefanos Gkikas announced the expanded subsidy, which marks a sharp rise from 90 million euros in 2019, underscoring the government’s commitment to improving connectivity across the Aegean and Ionian. “With the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034 and the upcoming EU Strategy for Islands, the EU has a unique opportunity to recognize island regions as a strategic priority,” Gkikas said. “Greece, in turn, can leverage this European momentum for the development of its islands.”

    Read more
    Lessons for Global South as a sinking Indonesian island sues climate polluters
    Connectivity & DigitizationSeptember 30, 2025

    Lessons for Global South as a sinking Indonesian island sues climate polluters

    Excerpt from asianews.network DHAKA – Since late August, Indonesia has been gripped by demonstrations rooted in long-standing structural pressures faced by its people. The outrage is fuelled by economic hardship, a faltering economy, and a government largely turning a blind eye to people’s struggles. Amid this unrest, at the beginning of this month, another confrontation emerged, far from the political spotlight. A crucial preliminary court hearing took place in a lawsuit filed by four Pulau Pari residents against Holcim, the Swiss cement giant, according to The Guardian. The residents of this four-kilometre-long island, which is just about three metres above sea level and has already lost 11 percent of its land underwater, filed the civil lawsuit at a Swiss court in July 2022, demanding climate justice for the company’s role in the climate crisis. This is backed by Indonesian and international organisations, including Swiss Church Aid (HEKS/EPER) and European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), and saw its main hearing on September 3 at the Cantonal Court of Zug. The massive impact of carbon emissions on rising sea levels has placed Pulau Pari at risk of being wiped off the map. The plaintiffs feel it is unfair to suffer the consequences of global warming without contributing to pollution. Thus, they demand proportional compensation—urgent emission cuts of at least 43 percent by 2030 and contributions to climate adaptation measures.

    Read more
    Kosrae-Nauru-Kiribati subsea cable set to start operating by November - Island Times
    Connectivity & DigitizationSeptember 9, 2025

    Kosrae-Nauru-Kiribati subsea cable set to start operating by November - Island Times

    Excerpt from islandtimes.org PALIKIR (PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES) — The long-stalled undersea cable that will interlink Micronesian islands is expected to be up and running by November, following the fiber optic cable landing in Kosrae, which completed the three-segment infrastructure. Jointly funded by the U.S, Australia and Japan, the East Micronesia Cable will “transform the Federated States of Micronesia’s digital future,” the U.S Embassy in Pohnpei said after the undersea cable landed in Kosrae on 18 August. FSM officials marked the completion of cable installation in Kosrae with a Golden Buoy ceremony at the shore site in Tofol on 18 August, succeeding the 16 August and 23 July landings in Nauru and Kiribati, respectively.

    Read more