Apia, Samoa – Samoa Koko Industry Association (SKIA) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) for 2022
on Tuesday 8 th November 2022 at Tanoa Tusitala Hotel. This year’s AGM covered the chairman’s report
and updates for all SKIA events and activities in the last financial year and of course SKIA’s financials for
its operations in 2021. SKIA was established in 2018 with the support from Samoa Cocoa Industry
Development Initiative and New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Trade.
SKIA president Alo Kolone Vaai welcomed all SKIA members in last night’s AGM and congratulated them
on another successful year for the association. He then proceeded to presented his Chairman’s report
that detailed the operations of SKIA for 2022. In his report, Alo informed the members that despite a
difficult beginning of the year, SKIA has started to roll out its activities such as its Cocoa Coaching
Courses that is always highly requested by members. The President also touched on the projects SKIA
was involved in this year which included the Youth Koko Workshops which were funded by the UNDP.
These trainings targeted young cocoa farmers and women cocoa farmers and one of the sessions were
trained by SKIA president and Vice president Brigitta Lo Tam. Alo also acknowledged the Ministry of
Agriculture and Fisheries for its approval of SKIA’s application to the Pacific Islands Rural Advisory
Services (PIRAS) where the association was awarded tunnel houses, fermentation boxes and cocoa
seedlings. Lastly included in his report, the SKIA president emphasized on the quality and unique taste of
Samoan cocoa which was evident at the South Pacific Cocoa of Excellence Awards held in Adelaide
Australia. He and former SKIA president Mulitalo Saena Penaia attended this ceremony where they were
awarded 1 st and 3 rd place certificates for the quality of their cocoa beans. Alo says, “these awards are a
further recognition of the high reputation and standard that Samoan Cocoa holds compared to other
varieties found in the Pacific”.
3 new members were elected to the SKIA EC Council with President Alo Kolone Vaai retaining his role.
Former president Mulitalo Saena Penaia was elected in as Vice president for the year 2022-2023. Vui
Lance Lameko was elected as one of the Independent Farmers Rep while Samoa Farmers Association
was welcomed in as one of the Upolu Farmers Association representatives with Afamasaga Toleafoa as
its authorized rep. Alo Kolone Va’ai acknowledges the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade and SCIDI project for the ongoing activities for SKIA. He also shows his gratitude
towards all the members that were involved and supported SKIA in all its events and activities in the
year 2022. He thanks the members for putting their faith in him to continue on his role as president and
welcomes the newly elected executive council, “I want to thank all our members for their continuous

support towards all SKIA operations this year we could not have done the work without you. I would
also like to welcome in our newly elected council members, I am very looking forward to working with
you all on ways to benefit all SKIA members moving forward.”
SKIA’s vision is to revitalize cocoa production in Samoa and to develop a sustainable and wealth creating
Samoan cocoa industry, that benefits both smallholders and commercial growers, and the domestic and
export value chains that exist around them. We will achieve this by building on the successes Samoa has
had to date, by learning from mistakes made, and by guiding Koko Samoa into a realistic and achievable
future. SKIA now has a total of 123 members including associations its next step now is looking at joining
global cocoa organizations such as the World Cocoa Foundation and the International Cocoa
Organization.