By Staff Writer
A ‘roadmap to navigate Samoa’s development over the next 20 years’ is now in place
Samoa 2040 is the first ever plan for Samoa ‘taking a longer term vision’ on ‘sustainable developments and better quality of life’ for the country, according to the Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.
His comments came at the launching of the plan at the TATTE Convention Centre last week on Wednesday 3 March 2021.
“It is a task full of challenges because one is trying to forecast the future – a future we all know is full of uncertainties,” he said in his launching address.
“We do not know what next week, next month or next year will bring. However using the statistics and data available as well as our own experience over the past many years backed up by the development agenda we intend to implement going forward, we are in a better position to make plausible projections of where we want Samoa’s development to be, in twenty years’ time.
“That is the gist of Samoa 2040. It is a demonstration of Samoa’s maturity as a nation.”
PM Tuilaepa said “Samoa 2040 sets out opportunities – in tourism, agriculture and fishing, digital economy, and labour mobility – that have the potential to boost economic growth, create employment, generate government revenues and raise standards of living.”
A 4-year Samoa Development Strategy (SDS) is in place already to follow “medium term developments” in the economic, social, and environment sectors.
The PM admits Government is under no illusion “that the future is an unknown and anything can happen.”
“ If the reality significantly shifts away from the projections, we also need to adjust our course but should never lose sight of the aspirational goal at the end of the tunnel.”
Samoa 2040 brought together contributions from village communities, private sector, civil societies and Government’ in the planning.
The Government Policy Co-ordination Committee and the Ministry of Finance guided the planners in areas that “…reflect Samoa’s key priority areas.”
The Prime Minister praised the plan as “…. a significant milestone in Samoa’s development planning.”