The Government of Samoa through the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Labour (MCIL) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Multi-Country Office, held the validation workshop for Samoa’s Private Sector Development Framework last week on Thursday 20^th October 2022. This work was identified in the first Development Financing Assessment (DFA) for Samoa, which presented opportunities for interventions to increase financial flows for developing the Private Sector and increasing their contribution to Samoa’s economy.

The validation workshop is a significant milestone in the implementation of the SDG Financing Joint Programme. It brought together relevant stakeholders in Government, the Private Sector, Civil Society, and Development Partners to discuss and validate the document that consolidates findings from the desk review, gaps analysis, and consultations. The overall objective of this undertaking was to develop a practical framework that is locally driven and context-appropriate, to enable a strong, resilient, and sustainable Private Sector in Samoa.

“This work aligns with the Government’s commitment to ‘Business Innovation and Growth’ as a key priority area in achieving a ‘Diversified and Sustainable Economy’, as stipulated in the Pathway for the Development of Samoa. Moreover, this undertaking illustrates the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Labour’s continued commitment to the sustainable development of the Samoa Private Sector. I would also like to acknowledge the support of the UNDP in this undertaking, as well as the support that all our other development partners offer in the area of Private Sector development.” – Pulotu Lyndon Chu Ling, CEO of MCIL.

The workshop was led by the MCIL in collaboration with UNDP, and the technical team of consultants, Ms Mary Beth Theisen and Ms Salote Meredith. It was well attended by a wide range of national stakeholders from the Government, Private Sector, Civil Society, and Development Partners.

“Clearly, Samoa’s private sector has suffered deep and unprecedented shocks throughout the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there must be increased and sustained focus on supporting private sector entities to get back on their feet and build forward better. We need to see a resilient private sector which is better guarded against future shocks, through the inclusion of women, youth, and persons with disabilities; investment in digital technologies; diversification with stronger local value and supply chains; and fully embracing the green transformation by capitalizing on circular economy opportunities, promoting sustainability, and using renewable energy,” said Verena Linneweber, UNDP Officer in Charge.

The workshop concluded with a consensus amongst the stakeholders validating the document and adopting a viable approach for implementation, with the way forward being the finalization of the framework by all stakeholders.

The SDG Financing Joint Programme focuses on developing financing strategies and operationalizing the INFFs for the Cook Islands, Niue, and Samoa to provide them with opportunities to enhance the management of financial flows and mobilize new, diverse, and innovative and catalytic financial instruments to accelerate the progress of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In 2018, Samoa conducted its first DFA which produced a roadmap that recommended a way forward to include improved efficiency of public finance systems, raise domestic revenue, state-owned reforms, and private sector finance to promote private sector investments.

The current SDG Financing Project was created from this DFA.

-ENDS-

For media queries, please contact:
Laufaleaina Lesa, UNDP Multi Country Office, Samoa Tel. +685 23670|E: laufaleaina.lesa@undp.org
www.ws.undp.org @UNDP in Samoa, Cook Islands, Tokelau & Niue @undpsamoa