Samoa, like most other small Pacific Islands, has challenging logistical infrastructure due to the lack of a national addressing system. This makes it difficult for small businesses to market themselves and to use e-commerce to grow their business.

SkyEye, in Samoa, develops services that harness mobile and geospatial technologies solutions to solve logistical challenges in Pacific Island countries. They received a grant from the GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator Innovation Fund in November 2018 to develop a platform for taxis and delivery drivers to receive orders in real time. In the absence of an effective address system, the platform leverages SkyEye’s GIS expertise to locate pick-up and drop-off points. The platform is expected to create opportunities for small businesses and e-commerce players to deliver their goods and to unlock new income for drivers.

The Ecosystem Accelerator programme is supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Australian Government, the GSMA and its members.