Pacific news in brief for October 30

Vanuatu – airline

A delegation from German aviation investment company Panaf is in Vanuatu to conduct physical due diligence on Air Vanuatu.

The Vanuatu daily mail Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Lands Rick Tchamako Mahe reported this in Luganville, Santo.

He said the government is considering all proposals from interested parties, but will remain the majority shareholder of AV-3, the newly created parent company of Air Vanuatu, with 51 percent of the shares.

Interested parties will be allocated a share of the 49 percent interest in AV-3, on the advice of consultancy firm Ernst & Young.

The government shareholders will soon deliberate on all proposals and make a decision.

Fiji – disaster

Fiji’s disaster management minister says the government is working to tackle flooding after heavy rains hit the central department over the weekend.

The Fijian government said families at River Road in Narere and Sawan, Naitasiri, affected by the landslide and flooding, had been visited by Minister Sakiasi Ditoka.

He said the government will work with the Ministry of Agriculture and other relevant stakeholders to see what they can do to address the problem of flooding.

He said while a long-term solution is needed, they will explore what actions can be taken in the meantime.

Samoa – CHOGM

Market vendors at Fugalei in Samoa claim sales fell during last week’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

The Samoan Observer reported that most sellers had expected a boom in sales.

Frankie Supermarket told the Sunday Samoan that there was no difference in turnover during the CHOGM week.

A saleswoman from a well-known clothing store even went so far as to say that sales were slow during the week.

She said the government should have set up a venue where the local businesses could set up their stalls to showcase the products to the delegates.

Samoa – finance

The World Bank has approved a $21 million grant for Samoa’s financial sector.

The Resilience and Development project aims to provide 8,500 individuals and businesses with easier access to financial services.

It will enable 100,000 people to digitally verify their identification over the life of the project.

Remittances are an important source of income in Samoa, and the Bank said reducing the cost of sending and receiving them will therefore directly benefit thousands of Samoans.

Stefano Mocci, World Bank Country Manager for the South Pacific, said this will increase Samoa’s delivery of services and capacity in the financial sector, promoting a more robust, accessible and equitable financial system.

Papau New Guinea – birthday

Rwandan President Paul Kagame could visit PNG next year during the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence.

The Post courier reports that PNG is also expected to send a delegation to Rwanda before then to look for investment and trade opportunities.

Prime Minister James Marape Sadi said he had a bilateral meeting with Kagame on the sidelines of CHOGM in Samoa.

Marape noted that PNG and Rwanda have engaged at the multilateral level on several occasions, but no concrete agreements have yet been reached bilaterally.

Kagame has served as chairman of the Commonwealth Secretariat for the past two years.

New Zealand/Pacific – labor

New Zealand’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner is frustrated by the government’s lack of progress in preventing the exploitation of migrant workers in Aotearoa.

Saunoamaali’i Karanina Sumeo claims that the recently announced changes to the Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa have reduced support for migrant workers who are exploited, while doing nothing to reduce the risk of such exploitation.

She said more must be done to protect the human rights of people working in New Zealand businesses in return for a way to improve their lives.

Fiji Rugby

Fijian rugby player Aliti Namoce, who admitted supplying cocaine and ketamine in Sydney’s CBD, has been stranded in the Pacific islands after her visa to return to Australia was refused.

On Monday local time, the court was told that Namoce had been granted a variation to her bail conditions to allow her to travel to compete with the named Fijians, but she has since been refused entry into the country.

Local media reported that guilty pleas have been filed against the 26-year-old.

The case has been adjourned for two weeks.

The police prosecutor said there was no information before the court to suggest why Namoce was not granted a visa to re-enter Australia, and that she risked breaching her bail if she remained stranded.

Solomon Islands – visit

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele says his visit to Indonesia has opened a new door in the “rare” international relationship between Honiara and Jakarta.

The Solomon Star reported that Manele attended the inauguration of Indonesia’s new president Prabowo Subianto and met him afterwards.

Manele said he believes this relationship will translate into economic benefits for the Solomon Islands in the years to come.

Pacific – remittances

The head of the Bank South Pacific Financial Group (BSP) says the South Pacific’s heavy reliance on remittances and commodity exports makes economies vulnerable to external shocks such as exchange rate fluctuations and rising government debt.

The National reported that BSP chief executive Mark Robinson gave a keynote address at the Commonwealth Business Forum in Samoa last week.

He said environmental degradation and climate change also pose significant threats to the region’s economic stability.

Robinson said both small businesses and individuals benefit from greater access to finance, which enables local development, improves women’s prosperity and increases resilience to the impacts of climate change.