Page 5 - IB January 2023

Managing Director / Publisher A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Netani Rika

Managing Editor Sailing into 2023, we’ve started with some good news. Kiribati’s imminent return
Samantha Magick to the Pacific Islands Forum represents the return of a key crew member to the
Pacific waqa. Kiribati of course has continued to play a strong role in the fisheries
and climate change advocacy space, despite its brief absence from the Forum. But
given the economic headwinds into which our region is sailing, a crew working at full
Designer strength is crucial.
Dick Lee
As we hear from key international bankers, analysts and industry leaders in our cover
story, economic growth prospects for the Pacific Islands region, while better than
Contributors
many other parts of the world, are muted in 2023. For all the talk of resetting and
Ongerung Kambes Kesolei
diversifying our economic bases at the height of the pandemic, remittances and
Nic Maclellan
tourism continue to do the heavy lifting. This has to be the year where there is real
Kite Pareti investment in other sectors, in improving the ease of doing business for everyone-and
Leila Parina not just the big end of town. It needs to be the year in which we make e-commerce
Henry Puna a reality so that entrepreneurs, including the smallest micro-ventures, can meet
Netani Rika their customers where they are - online. 2023 has to be the year in where we invest
Simione Sevudredre in adding value to those areas in which we have natural advantages, agricultural,
Rowena Singh fisheries and aquaculture, and to our people, through business processing and other
skilled service sectors. And we hope it is the year in which the benefits of having
Kaliopate Tavola
workers on short-term labour schemes in Australia and New Zealand translates into
Alfred Tora
longer term economic benefits in home countries, so they can leverage those earnings
into opportunities for their families when they return.
There are good examples we can draw on from our neighbours. Fiji is making great
Islands Business is published monthly by
Front Page Pte Limited process in the business processing sector and has successfully relaunched tourism. In
Editorial & Advertising Offices Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, there is some important work being done to train and
GPO Box 12718, Suva, Fiji Islands. support seasonal workers to start their own businesses. The kava import trial into
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big enough for us all and we need to find better ways of sharing and learning from
Emails each other.
Editorial: editor@islandsbusiness.com
Subscriptions: subs@islandsbusiness.com Fiji’s new government is convening an economic summit in April of this year. They
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have promised it will be inclusive; a real national conversation. Of course the test
will be turning this conversation into action, but as a starting point, it’s worth
considering in other Pacific states where some of the expertise, innovative ideas and
Printing:
PrintHouse, Suva, Fiji. real experience is often not heard in the offices of decision makers.

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Islands Business, January 2023 5