Top 10 Women in Tech Groups and Resources in Solomon Islands in 2026

Table of Contents

• Introduction: The Threading Begins
• Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) - Dream Builder Course
• PICISOC (Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society)
• SIG Digital Strategy 2025-2029 Implementation Network
• Solomon Islands National University (SINU) ICT Scholarship Program
• Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships - ICT and STEM Stream
• USP Women in STEM Society (WISS) - Honiara Campus
• Solomon Power and Our Telekom Corporate Partnership Programs
• ITU Pacific Girls in ICT Day - Solomon Islands Hub
• Annual International Girls in ICT Day Conference - Honiara
• Women in ICT Solomon Islands (WITSI)
• Conclusion: Join the Pattern
• Frequently Asked Questions

Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) - Dream Builder Course

The US Embassy's Academy for Women Entrepreneurs Dream Builder course is not the typical business program. It is built for women who already see the market gap but need the framework to cross it. The 2024 Solomon Islands cohort launched with 25 participants working on tech-enabled ventures - e-commerce platforms connecting outer-island farmers to Honiara buyers, mobile agricultural marketplaces, and digital payment solutions for local vendors.

The course runs for 12 weeks, completely free of charge, and covers three critical areas: business model development, financial literacy, and digital marketing. These are not abstract concepts pulled from a Silicon Valley textbook. The curriculum is tailored for Pacific entrepreneurs who must navigate limited internet access, cash-based economies, and the logistics of running a business across scattered islands. Graduates receive certificates and lifetime access to the alumni network - a growing community of women who understand the specific challenges of building tech from Honiara.

How to join: Watch the U.S. Embassy Honiara Facebook page for announcements each year. Applications typically open in the first quarter. The 2024 cohort was capped at 25; expect similar capacity for 2026. No need to leave your job or family - sessions are designed to fit around existing commitments.

The challenge it addresses is subtle but deep: many women in Solomon Islands have strong tech ideas but lack the structured business thinking to scale them. AWE bridges that gap without requiring participants to quit everything and move to a capital city. As one former participant told us: "The Dream Builder course helped me turn my idea for a local e-commerce platform into something real. I learned how to budget, how to pitch, and most importantly, how to find my first customers."

PICISOC (Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society)

Geography is the quiet adversary of every Solomon Islands tech professional. When your nearest regional conference is a four-hour flight to Suva and your global peers are in time zones you will never share, isolation becomes structural. PICISOC is the regional spine that turns that isolation into connection. It links national groups like WITSI across 15 Pacific island nations, creating a community where distance becomes irrelevant.

What you get is access to training workshops that matter locally: internet governance principles, cybersecurity fundamentals for small-island states, and technical infrastructure planning for places where undersea cables are still a new arrival. PICISOC also convenes the annual Pacific Internet Governance Forum, where Solomon Islands women present their work alongside peers from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa. These are not spectator events - delegates actively shape regional policy positions on digital rights and connectivity.

Joining is straightforward. Visit the PICISOC website and register as an individual member - membership is free. The organisation actively recruits women from member countries to participate in regional delegations, covering travel and accommodation costs through development partner funding.

The challenge PICISOC addresses is the silence that comes from being the only person in your field within a thousand kilometres. It creates a Pacific-level cohort where the question "How do I handle this?" has an answer from someone who already solved it in Port Moresby or Apia. The network is already there - PICISOC is the backbone that keeps it connected.

SIG Digital Strategy 2025-2029 Implementation Network

This is not a membership group you join. The SIG Digital Strategy 2025-2029 is a government policy framework that creates structural demand for women in technology roles that did not exist five years ago. Published by the Ministry of ICT Services, the Digital, Data, People, Technology and Cyber Strategy explicitly targets women for public-sector digital transformation positions, with dedicated funding streams for training programs within ministries.

The strategy's key focus areas are financial inclusion and digital payment adoption - both sectors where women are being actively recruited through government ICT services. The salary figures make this worth your attention: entry-level government ICT roles in Honiara start at SBD 85,000-120,000 per year, while senior digital transformation officers earn SBD 140,000-180,000. These are stable, pension-track positions with the largest employer in the country.

How to access these opportunities: Watch the SIG ICT Services job portal at icts.gov.sb for vacancies tagged under Digital Strategy Implementation. The internal SIG Women in ICT group, supported by the Australia Solomon Islands Partnership for Governance, provides mentorship for women already in public service. This group is not public-facing, but once you enter government ICT work, it becomes your professional home.

The challenge this addresses is the gender leadership gap in STEM within government. Rather than waiting for women to apply, the strategy creates positions with explicit recruitment targets. The demand is built into the policy - you simply need to be ready when the vacancies appear.

Solomon Islands National University (SINU) ICT Scholarship Program

The application deadline passes while a young woman in Gizo waits for the boat that never comes. This is the silent barrier Solomon Islands National University scholarship program was designed to break. SINU regularly awards SIG-funded scholarships for ICT programs, and the 2025 cycle finalised awards with a clear priority: women in STEM fields receive first consideration.

What you get is full tuition coverage for diploma and degree programs in information technology, computer science, and related fields at SINU's main Honiara campus. The critical component is the living stipend: approximately SBD 15,000-25,000 per semester to cover accommodation, food, and transport. For women from outer islands who cannot afford Honiara's rental market, this stipend transforms an impossible choice into a viable path.

Applications open annually through the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development scholarship portal. The 2025 cycle required submission by February for the July academic start. Women with strong grades in mathematics and science subjects receive priority consideration under the government's stated commitment to closing the gender gap in ICT tertiary education.

The challenge this addresses is financial geography. A diploma in ICT from SINU opens doors to government ICT roles starting at SBD 85,000 per year, but the upfront cost of living in Honiara while studying stops most women before they start. This scholarship removes that obstacle, not by reducing ambition, but by funding the roof over your head while you learn.

Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships - ICT and STEM Stream

A young woman in Auki prints her Manaaki application at the one internet cafe with a working printer, hoping the power holds long enough to upload. This scholarship is built for that specific moment of determination. The Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship programme offers Solomon Islands citizens fully funded tertiary study across the Tasman, with ICT and STEM designated as priority sectors for the 2025-2026 cycle.

The package is comprehensive: full tuition for undergraduate or postgraduate study at a New Zealand institution, return airfare, accommodation, and a living allowance of approximately NZD 25,000-30,000 per year. Pastoral care is included, recognising that for many recipients, this is their first time living abroad. The critical obligation is the two-year return commitment - graduates must come back to Solomon Islands and apply their skills locally. This is not a brain drain; it is a capacity-building pipeline designed to strengthen national ICT expertise.

Women applicants can access dedicated support through the Women in Leadership stream, which provides additional mentorship during the application process. Applications open in February with a June deadline each year, managed through the New Zealand High Commission in Honiara. The 2026 cycle follows the same timeline.

The challenge this addresses is the scarcity of postgraduate opportunities in Solomon Islands. No local institution offers advanced degrees in cybersecurity, data science, or AI. Manaaki removes that ceiling entirely, sending women to world-class programmes with the explicit expectation that they return to lead. The network comes home with them.

USP Women in STEM Society (WISS) - Honiara Campus

The newest campus in Honiara sits near the CBD, its classrooms still carrying the smell of fresh paint. When the University of the South Pacific opened its Honiara campus in October 2024, it broke a fundamental barrier: women no longer need to leave the country to access a regional university. Six months later, in April 2025, the Women in STEM Society (WISS) launched with a simple premise - no woman should learn to code alone.

WISS offers a monthly workshop series covering practical technical skills: Python programming fundamentals, data analysis using spreadsheets and open-source tools, and cybersecurity awareness tailored to the Solomon Islands context. These are not theoretical lectures. The sessions are hands-on, built for women who need skills they can apply immediately to their coursework or entry-level roles. The society also hosts networking events with visiting academics from USP's Suva campus and coordinates study groups that reduce the isolation women often feel in male-dominated STEM classes. Membership is free for current USP Honiara students, accessed through the Student Association.

The society meets bi-weekly at the new campus. Beyond the workshops, WISS connects members to regional USP conferences in Suva and Port Vila, creating a Pacific-wide cohort for women who might otherwise work in isolation. The WISS mentorship track pairs senior students with newcomers, ensuring the knowledge transfers before it dissipates.

The challenge WISS addresses is the experience of being the only woman in a programming class. Before this society, a female student at USP Honiara had no dedicated peer group. Now she has a cohort of women who understand that specific silence - and know how to break it.

Solomon Power and Our Telekom Corporate Partnership Programs

The "experience trap" in Honiara sounds like this: employers want three years of network engineering experience, but no one will hire you to get that experience. Solomon Power and Our Telekom are the two corporate partners breaking that cycle. Both companies offer internships specifically reserved for women in technical roles, creating the first step on a career ladder that previously had no foothold.

Our Telekom's engineering division has announced a 30% female participation target in its graduate recruitment pipeline by 2027. For a telco that employs the majority of network engineers in the country, this target is structural, not symbolic. Entry-level network engineers at Our Telekom earn SBD 95,000-130,000 per year, while Solomon Power ICT roles start at SBD 90,000-120,000. These are not internships with subsistence allowances - they are professional salaries with career progression.

Beyond recruitment, both companies provide material support for the broader women-in-tech ecosystem. Solomon Power has supplied school bags, merchandise, and logistical support for Girls in ICT Day events, while Our Telekom routes technical training announcements through WITSI's network. These partnerships turn corporate social responsibility into concrete access points.

How to access these opportunities: through WITSI membership. Both corporate partners route their internship and graduate program announcements exclusively through WITSI's Facebook group. The challenge these programs solve is the circular logic of hiring - you cannot get a job without experience, and you cannot get experience without a job. These internships are the escape hatch.

ITU Pacific Girls in ICT Day - Solomon Islands Hub

The signal starts in Geneva at the International Telecommunication Union headquarters, but it lands in Honiara, Gizo, and Auki through Our Telekom's network. The ITU Pacific Girls in ICT Day is the regional event that turns a global movement into local action. For 2026, the theme is "AI for Development: Girls Shaping the Digital Future" - a deliberate shift from passive participation to active creation.

The Solomon Islands hub has grown rapidly. In 2025, over 250 participants from 30 local schools joined from Honiara and outer islands, connected virtually through Our Telekom's infrastructure. The event format is practical: hands-on workshops in AI basics, data visualisation using freely available tools, and cybersecurity awareness tailored to Pacific contexts. A pitching competition challenges girls to present tech solutions to local problems - last year's winners addressed agricultural market access and school attendance tracking. Solomon Power provided equipment as prizes for the winning teams, bridging the gap between classroom innovation and tangible resources.

Registration opens approximately two months before the April event, announced through the WITSI Facebook group. Participation is free, and lunch and transport support are typically provided for students travelling to the Honiara hub from surrounding areas.

The challenge this event addresses is the invisibility of tech careers to schoolgirls in Solomon Islands. A secondary school student in Auki has likely never met a female software engineer. This event puts that possibility directly in front of her, with local women already working in ICT leading the workshops. The future becomes visible because the present is already standing in front of her classroom.

Annual International Girls in ICT Day Conference - Honiara

The one day each year when being a woman in tech in Honiara means being part of the majority. The annual International Girls in ICT Day Conference draws women from across the country into a single room - government ICT officers, Our Telekom engineers, SINU students, and entrepreneurs who built their businesses on mobile money. The 2025 edition, themed "Inclusive Digital Transformation", gathered over 250 participants from across Solomon Islands.

The format is built for impact: a full-day program with keynote speeches from women leaders in government ministries and private sector technology firms, followed by breakout workshops on topics ranging from mobile app development to digital security. The 2025 event featured representatives from the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs alongside the Australian High Commission. Afternoon sessions shift to direct networking with employers actively recruiting - Our Telekom, BSP, and SIG ICT Services all send hiring managers to the conference floor.

How to attend: the conference is held annually in late April at venues in Honiara. Registration is free for students and SBD 200-500 for working professionals. Watch the Solomon Islands Government portal and the Tavuli News announcements for registration details each year. Transport support is often available for attendees travelling from outer islands and provinces near Honiara.

The challenge this conference dismantles is professional isolation. For women who are the only female ICT professional in their ministry or company, this day creates a rare experience: sitting in a room where you are not the exception. The conversations seeded here become the collaborations that last through the year.

Women in ICT Solomon Islands (WITSI)

Conclusion: Join the Pattern

The necklace rests in her hands now, complete. Each bead she threaded alone under the mango tree will soon connect dozens of women at the ceremony. No one photographed the solitary work, but everyone will see the pattern when it holds.

This is where you are. The ten groups on this list are the threading - the invisible infrastructure that turns isolated engineers into a movement. WITSI connects over 1,000 women across Solomon Islands through a single Facebook group. The ITU Pacific Girls in ICT Day puts AI workshops into the hands of 250 schoolgirls. The SIG Digital Strategy creates government roles paying up to SBD 180,000 that did not exist five years ago. The network is already strung.

The public story says there is nothing here. The private truth is that women across Honiara and the outer islands have already built what the capital cities of the Pacific are still trying to create. The scholarships from Manaaki New Zealand and the internships at Our Telekom are not distant possibilities - they are open now, waiting for your application.

Stop waiting for the official ceremony. The pattern already exists. Request access to the WITSI Facebook group today. The next meeting might be virtual from Honiara, but the connections it creates will hold stronger than shell money at a feast. The threading happens now. Join the pattern.

Frequently Asked Questions