Public Private Partnerships of Kiribati

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Due to its small size and limited private sector, the Republic of Kiribati has long depended on the public sector and foreign aid for its economic development. The government has expressed a desire to reform the country’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs), further develop its infrastructure and lay the foundation for growth in the private sector. Since the beginning of the 2010s, the Government of Kiribati has been working with the Asian Development Bank on strategies to restructure SOEs. Following an evaluation in 2012, action plans for non-performing SOEs were proposed, and in April 2013 during a session of parliament an SOE Act was passed, providing an improved governance framework. Several SOEs will continue to operate with the assistance of public-private partnership agreements, while others will be sold, liquidated or turned into joint ventures in the future.