The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the
Government of Samoa today signed a grant agreement totaling $100 million to help fund the
Alaoa Multipurpose Dam Project. The grant is sourced from ADB’s Asian Development Fund
(ADF) that provides grants to ADB’s poorest and most vulnerable countries. It is replenished
every 4 years by the ADF’s donor countries.
The Ireland Trust Fund for Building Climate Change and Disaster Resilience in Small
Island Developing States will contribute $400,000 and the Government of Samoa will provide
more than $11 million to the project.
Through the ADB-supported project, the grant will help fund climate adaptation
challenges of flood risk management, sustainable and reliable water supply, and renewable
energy security.
Samoa’s Minister of Finance, Lautimuia Uelese Vaai and Regional Director for ADB’s
Pacific Subregional Office, Aaron Batten signed the grant agreement at an event in Apia.
“The Government of Samoa are pleased to partner with ADB with funding support from
the Ireland Trust Fund for Building Climate Change and Disaster Resilience in Small Island
Developing States to support Samoa’s renewable energy, climate adaptation and flood control
goals through this project,” said Minister Vaai. “This transformational project with directly benefit
the population in the project areas.”
“ADB is grateful for the partnership with the Government of Samoa in preparing this
project. Extensive assessments and technical analyses were undertaken to ensure that the
infrastructure design will incorporate robust climate and disaster-resilient features,” said Mr.
Batten. “In developing this large and impactful project, the importance of close consultations
with the relevant stakeholders was key.”
The Alaoa Multipurpose Dam Project will support the construction of a multipurpose dam
to reduce flood risks in Apia, provide a reliable and sustainable source of water supply and
provide support on flood risk management systems, capacity building, and biodiversity
conservation and management. A run-of-river small hydropower plant will also help to reduce
Samoa’s dependency on imported fossil fuels for power generation.
The project has established an innovative biodiversity offset trust fund. This will ensure
no net loss of biodiversity to Samoa’s natural environment. The fund will also ensure
sustainable financing for biodiversity protection and enhancement beyond project completion.

To ensure the robustness of dam safety, ADB has engaged an independent panel of
experts, which has provided an additional robust technical review of the project.
Close consultations with stakeholders, including affected villages, government agencies,
and civil society organizations and nongovernment organizations were integral to project
preparation. Around 60 extensive consultations and meetings were conducted within the 5-year
project preparation period, except during the pandemic.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia
and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it
is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.