Debt traps and doing business
By Samantha Magick Tourism may be the poster child of the Pacific’s post-COVID economic crisis, but it’s not the only sector that has suffered. A stark example of the challenges that border closures are causing came
USP’s regional students struggle to study
By Leila Parina Regional students studying at the University of the South Pacific’s Laucala campus in Fiji have had another difficult semester. The COVID-19 outbreak which began in April this year and has claimed over
Pleass Global: Celebrating 25 years of innovation
Sponsored From supplying Fiji cinemas with frozen soft drinks 25 years ago, Pleass Global Limited has grown into a diverse company that is looking to new markets, new products and new opportunities. Co-founders
“We are lagging behind quite poorly”
By Samantha Magick In 2020 as shops and markets all over the world were forced to close due to the coronavirus, people shopped from home, with e-commerce seeing exponential growth in many markets. And the trend will
How to manage a $1.6 billion debt and other challenges
Pacific finance and trade leaders will have critical meetings this week to discuss how they can rebuild the region’s economies following the economic devastation wrought by COVID-19. Managing increasing debt burdens
Opinion: COVID-19, the Western Front and Stealing Thunder
By Dennis Rounds Faced with a second COVID-19 lockdown, just 12 months after the first, I’ve convinced myself that I now have a better understanding of the term “Western Front”. During the First World War, a large
Collected conversations: Iliesa Samu’s ‘They Said’
By Iliesa Tora First it was Sandalwood Blood. Now it’s They Said. Two books in a space of seven years, authored by a Fijian in Tonga, Iliesa Samu Lala. Now 72 years old, the almost-7-foot giant of a man’s
ADB predicts modest growth for Pacific economies this year
The Asian Development Bank expects Pacific Island economies to return to positive growth this year, although at different rates, and with a great deal riding on successful vaccine roll-outs. Pacific economies contracted
Training Coalition faces a reckoning
By Samantha Magick A multimillion-dollar program aimed at supporting “a more prosperous Pacific driven by a skilled, competitive and productive workforce” is undergoing controversial changes which could have
Saving for a rainy (cyclonic, drought-stricken, storm-surge) day
It is well understood that the Pacific Islands is one of the least insured regions in the world, with some estimates putting the penetration rate at just 3.6%. These figures are particularly sobering given our
Saving for a rainy day
It is well understood that the Pacific Islands is one of the least insured regions in the world, with some estimates putting the penetration rate at just 3.6%. These figures are particularly sobering given our
