Key Projects of Samoa

Virgin Samoa

Virgin Samoa is a Samoan airline set up as a joint venture between the Government of Samoa and Virgin Australia. The airline is 49 per cent owned by the government and 49 per cent owned by Virgin Australia Holdings, with the remaining two per cent owned by an independent Samoan shareholder. The International Finance Corporation served as the lead advisor for the formation of the public–private partnership, which saw the reform and restructure of one of Samoa’s former national airlines, Polynesian Blue. Shareholders initially signed the agreement in September 2005 and in the first two years the partnership turned over a US$6.9 million profit.

Public-Private Partnerships

At the Infrastructural Asia 2010 Ministerial Meeting, the government emphasised its commitment to pursuing public–private partnership initiatives. Such projects have been deemed essential to encourage growth following the economic downturn of the early 21st century. Samoan Minister of Finance Niko Lee Hang stated that the government had begun analysing the value of

public–private partnerships and hoped to implement strategic plans to this effect within the next few years. Sectors highlighted as potentially benefiting from private sector involvement included electricity, transport, health, education and high-rise building construction. The establishment of a Privatisation and PPP Division within the Ministry Finance was highlighted as the next step towards introducing PPP projects throughout the country.

In 2012, government representatives from Samoa attended the Regional Roundtable on Promoting Public Private Partnerships for Local Economic Development in the Pacific in Fiji.