Nine Samoan professionals are taking part in a regional leadership programme in Honolulu, Hawaii, alongside participants from Fiji, Solomon Islands and Indonesia.
The Samoan delegation is attending the Leadership Academy for Development, or LAD, an executive-level programme focused on strengthening the ability of government, private sector and civil society leaders to design and implement economic and public policy reforms.
Participants are examining issues including public policy, institutional development, investment, infrastructure and innovative financing, with a focus on how governments and the private sector can work together to support sustainable economic growth.
Samoa’s delegation includes:
- John Lemoa, CEO of the Samoa Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Faaniniva Edelma Niumata, lawyer and organisational development consultant
- Umesh Donald Narayan, entrepreneur and business leader
- Tauatia Sesalina Tuimauga Tuugamusu, Principal Investment Promotion Officer at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour
- Jobenz Manoa, Founder and Managing Director of WebSafe Samoa
- Anna Aiolupotea Silva, Managing Director of Silva Group Corporation
- Van Wright, Director of Le Vikz Consulting Ltd
- Kisa Kupe, engineer with Kupa Engineering & Water Consult Ltd
- Matauaina Foisaga Isaako Tuitama, author and government journalist with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
The Honolulu programme brings together representatives from government, business and civil society, providing participants with opportunities to examine policy challenges affecting Pacific economies and learn from experiences in other developing markets.
The Leadership Academy for Development is based at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, part of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.
Stanford describes LAD as a practitioner programme designed to train government officials and business leaders from developing countries to lead reforms, navigate complex stakeholder environments and build coalitions in support of effective public policy.
The programme uses case studies and practical policy examples rather than focusing only on technical solutions. Participants examine the economic, financial, political and cultural factors that can determine whether reforms succeed or fail.
According to Stanford, LAD has now reached more than 2,500 alumni from 113 countries and has convened more than 80 workshops internationally.
The Honolulu sessions are being delivered with the involvement of Stanford LAD and the Center for International Private Enterprise.
Faculty listed for the programme include Stanford scholar Michael Bennon, political scientist Francis Fukuyama, Stanford researcher and lecturer Dinsha Mistree, CIPE’s Eric Hontz and Allison Luing.
For Samoa and other Pacific Island countries, the discussions are particularly relevant as governments seek ways to attract investment, strengthen infrastructure, develop public-private partnerships and build economies that can withstand climate and financial pressures.
The participation of professionals from across Samoa’s public and private sectors also provides an opportunity to build regional relationships with policymakers and business leaders facing similar challenges elsewhere in the Pacific.
Stanford says a central principle behind LAD is that successful economic reform requires more than technical expertise. Leaders must also understand political and institutional realities, set priorities and build support among the different groups needed to turn policy proposals into action.
The Honolulu programme gives Samoa’s participants an opportunity to apply those lessons to development challenges facing Samoa and the wider Pacific.
