Samoa

In Samoa, PSDI is supporting reform initiatives that make the country an increasingly enabling place to do business and an attractive place to invest.

PSDI is working with the Government of Samoa to:

  • Increase access to finance through secured transaction reform and the procurement, design, and implementation of an accompanying online registry;

  • Support the commercial strengthening of the government-owned Development Bank of Samoa;

  • Simplify business laws and registration processes, including providing support for an update of Samoa’s Companies Act Regulations, and assisting with the procurement and installation of a new electronic registry. PSDI has also commenced implementation of a business law simplification package;

  • Strengthen competition and consumer protection by reviewing Samoa’s competition and consumer protection policy and law needs;

  • Strengthen state-owned enterprise policy, performance, governance and transparency; and

  • Support reform through advocacy and analysis, including a private sector assessment published in October 2015.

Resources and Spending

Each PSDI work area, bar economic empowerment of women, is represented in the allocations of the $2.83 million spent in Samoa to date, indicative of the wide range of reforms the country has pursued to improve its business environment. Financing growth initiatives have received 29% of this funding, enabling the procurement of a personal property securities registry. Business law reform has received the second most funding, with the $641,741 allocated going towards creation of an online companies registry and recent evaluations of the company law and registry expansion opportunities. 

Samoa2007 2019 web2

On this website, $ refers to US dollars unless otherwise stated.

For detailed information on PSDI activities in Samoa, download the 2022 PSDI Country Overview here.

Samoa at a glance

Faster business registrations

The time needed to register a new company fell from 21 days to 1.5 days following PSDI-supported reform and the implementation of an online registry

38% average increase

in new company registrations per year since PSDI supported the implementation of an electronic registry in 2013.

Private sector assessment

Reform Renewed: A Private Sector Assessment for Samoa was published in October 2015.

Secured transaction reform

Samoa’s Personal Property Securities Bill was enacted in February 2013, and amended in 2015, with an accompanying online registry launched in February 2017.
Latest News
19 September 2023
Strong history of women in business leadership—PSDI Leadership Matters Samoa

In Samoa, more than 30 representatives of Samoan government ministries, state-owned enterprises, private-sector companies, and nongovernment organizations convened on July 7 2022 to launch Leadership Matters, and discuss ways to support women in business leadership. Watch the video.

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18 July 2023
PSDI experts support Samoa PPP framework

PSDI experts have worked alongside Samoa’s Ministry of Public Enterprises to deliver a new framework for public-private partnerships, and the efficient provision of public services.

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22 March 2023
Samoa's robust SOE framework a model for the Pacific — ADB PSDI report

Samoa’s prioritization of SOE reform over the past 8 years has provided a platform for more efficient service delivery, according to a new ADB PSDI report.

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7 July 2022
Respond to 'challenges of today' with more women in Samoa business leadership—PSDI Leadership Matters event

More than 30 government, business, and civil society representatives in Samoa have gathered to discuss the findings of PSDI's Leadership Matters study on women in Pacific business leadership.

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27 February 2017
Secured Transactions Registry Launched in Samoa

Lending institutions in Samoa will be able to provide credit to more businesses following the launch of an online registry that makes it easier to accept movable property — such as machinery, accounts receivable, or inventory — as collateral.

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27 February 2017
Online Registry Makes Lending Against Movable Property Easier in Samoa

APIA, SAMOA (27 February 2017) — Lending institutions in Samoa will be able to provide credit to more businesses following the launch of an online registry that makes it easier to accept movable property — such as machinery, accounts receivable, or inventory — as collateral.

read more
Key Publications
Invisible Hands: Enabling Pacific Women in the Informal Economy
Invisible Hands: Enabling Pacific Women in the Informal Econ...
This publication is the first in a series of PSDI reports focused on the role of women in the Pacific region’s informal economy.
PSDI Annual Report FY2022
PSDI Annual Report FY2022
This report gives an overview of PSDI activities from July 2021 to June 2022.
PSDI Tourism Infographic Brochure
PSDI Tourism Infographic Brochure
This infographic brochure illustrates PSDI’s work and key achievements in the Pacific tourism sector.
Finding Balance 2023: Benchmarking Performance and Building Climate Resilience in Pacific State-Owned Enterprises
Finding Balance 2023: Benchmarking Performance and Building ...
This report reviews the performance of SOEs in nine Pacific island economies and looks at how policymakers can help state-owned power utilities address climate risk.
A Secure Retirement: Leveling the Playing Field for Women in the Pacific
A Secure Retirement: Leveling the Playing Field for Women in...
This publication proposes a series of priority reforms to address women’s disadvantage in accessing benefits from Pacific retirement funds.
PSDI Country Overviews 2022
PSDI Country Overviews 2022
What is PSDI doing in the Pacific? These fact sheets provide an overview of all PSDI activities at the country level to 2022.