The Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) has long recognized the potential of digital innovation to foster sustainability and promote economic development in rural and peri-urban areas. However, despite the potential benefits of digital innovation initiatives, rural and peri-urban areas face challenges in developing and maintaining digital initiatives, hindering their success. Upon realizing this, CHIETA collaborated with the University of Johannesburg (UJ), known for its excellence in research, to comprehensively analyze existing digital initiatives in rural and peri-urban areas, identifying common barriers to success and factors contributing to failure. Provided the insights from analysis, this case study proposes to develop a comprehensive system model that integrates digital innovation strategies with the unique socio-economic and infrastructural characteristics of these communities to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of digital initiatives.