Mr Aaron Batten, Regional Director of the ADB, Pacific Subregional Office
• Mrs Tuala Maria Melei Tagiilima – head of Unit, Samoa Pacific ADB Office and
staff
Talofa Lava and Greetings again,
It is always a pleasure to welcome you back to our shores Mr. Batten, and meet
your team here in Apia.
Today we have now reached another milestone of our partnership and shared
commitments, after a long and arduous process and preparation to develop this project
since 2017. Samoa is blessed and I give praise and thank to our Heavenly Father for
the endless blessings for Samoa and our partners.
Therefore, it is my privilege as well to be here today representing the
Government and the people of Samoa on this grant agreement signing for the “Alaoa
Multipurpose Dam Project”.
I am also very pleased that this Grant Agreement is the first agreement to be
signed in this office which we opened in February this year, dedicated for ADB’s
operations and services in Samoa; and I look forward to more agreement signing
ceremonies in this office in the near future.
Mr. Batten, this $100million dollars grant investment project is a first for Samoa,
and the signing today and this project is also fitting for both the Government of Samoa
and the ADB to deliver on our mandates to strengthen resilience of our people and
ADB’s as the “climate bank for the region”.
The Government of Samoa is 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.

Re-emphasising the Government’s commitment to five key strategic outcomes
to support the theme of its development plan, the Pathway for the Development of
Samoa, “Empowering communities, building resilience, and inspiring growth”;
and directly relevant to the project is the Key Strategic Outcome of “Secured
Environment and Climate Change”.
In addition, the Parliament just last week – approved the National Budget for the
new Financial Year 2024/2025 under the theme “Sustaining Growth Pathways for
the Social, Economic and Climate Resilience of our Common Wealth”
Samoa and the Pacific also delivered, a strong message during the Annual
Meeting in Tbilisi Georgia this year, with climate financing being one of the key
thematic areas discussed and supported. Our hope, that this addition to our climate
resilience efforts will be the first of this magnitude, related objectives, value and impact
to continue and across all sectors of the economy.
The primary objective to enhance resilience to increasingly intense cyclones by
mitigating Apia City flooding associated with extreme rainfall events to the upstream
catchment of the eastern and eastern – central branches of the Vaisigano River. In
addition, the project will improve the stability of the water supply, as well as increased
renewable energy sources generated by installing hydropower plant. This
transformational project with directly benefit the population in the project areas.
Mr. Batten, on behalf of the people of Samoa, I would like to acknowledge with
sincere appreciation the ADB’s continuous support to Samoa. I would also like to
recognise and acknowledge Samoa and ADB’s relationship and partnership that has
contributed substantially to the development of Samoa, improving livelihood of the
people especially our vulnerable people.
I also wish to acknowledge the dedication and efforts by both the ADB team
and the Samoa team, especially the project team and the ADB Samoa Office, and the
key Government agencies in their collaboration to ensure this project reached this
milestone – the Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure (MWTI), the Electric
Power Corporation (EPC), the Samoa Water Authority (SWA), the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment (MNRE) and our Executing Agency – Ministry of Finance
(MOF). Malo galulue ma le tautua.
Mr. Batten, the Government looks forward to the ongoing engagement and
partnership with the Bank in supporting priorities and development for Samoa.
Faafetai tele lava and Thank you – Soifua