The Pacific Islands Private Sector Organization is pleased to announce the inclusion of the American Samoa Chamber of Commerce as its newest member.
The Chamber’s membership was endorsed by the PIPSO’s Board and the PIPSO Council Members were informed of the new member at the recent 9th Annual General Meeting held at the Sofitel Hotel in Nadi, Fiji on 3rd July.
PIPSO’s current Chair, Klaus Stunzer said that the inclusion of the American Samoa Chamber of Commerce to PIPSO’s membership is an exciting development.
“There are trade opportunities for the businesses in American Samoa with the rest of the Pacific. With the recent inclusion, this takes the regular membership to 15 Countries.”
“We welcome the American Samoa Chamber to PIPSO and look forward to a fruitful working relationship. American Samoa has very close links to the Pacific community particularly to neighbouring Samoa and we recognize there are great business opportunities and learnings to be shared with and amongst the wider PIPSO membership, and now with American Samoa Chamber in the fold.”
He further stated that talks are also in place with private sector organizations in New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna. This development will assert PIPSO as the peak private sector body in the Pacific
The Chair of the American Samoa Chamber of Commerce David Robinson said that the Chamber was pleased to join PIPSO as its newest member.
“I am sure that being part of your organisation and the access that this will give us to information sharing with other members will afford our membership a variety of added benefits and enable it to identify new ideas for training, technical and financial assistance programs.
“We are a very small economy relying on the two tuna processing canneries and government employment to support us, so we need to continue to develop strategies for increased private sector development particularly our small and medium size businesses.”
He added that membership in PIPSO would also greatly assist young American Samoan women entrepreneurs to identify new opportunities to develop their business.
The American Samoa Chamber of Commerce was established in 1979 and currently has 92 members. It becomes the 15th National Private Sector Organisation to become a member of PIPSO since the Secretariats inception in 2007.
As the new addition to the PIPSO family, the American Samoa Chamber of Commerce will be classified as the country’s focal point for private sector issues. It will have access to PIPSO’s network of members both regionally and internationally and will be invited to participate at all regional events extended to its members. The Chamber will be a Council Member in the PIPSO Governing council.