Samoa

The National Bank of Samoa is developing a series of new banking products to benefit women entrepreneurs and improve remittances in Samoa, with support from the IFC and the New Zealand government

The main budget for 2024-2025 will be presented by the Minister of Finance, Lautimuia Uelese Vaai, when Parliament reconvenes today after the last sitting two months ago

The Office of the Electoral Commission has launched its online registration portal, a pivotal moment in Samoa's electoral history, with the aim of improving accessibility and efficiency for voters at home and abroad

Samoa has been excluded from the list of countries eligible to apply for a new visa in Australia that allows skilled workers and their families to apply for permanent residency

An addendum to the existing 2012 bilateral agreement was signed with the US to continue and expand operational cooperation in the suppression of transnational illicit maritime activities

Some 26.000 Samoans will be assisted by a project of the US Agency for International Development's Office of Humanitarian Assistance, preparing them to cope more effectively with the shocks of future disasters

The Regulator, Lematua Gisa Purcell, said the current price of the internet is lower than in previous years and network's cost will fall again before the end of the year, in response to growing concerns raised in Parliament about internet's high cost

After six months of planning and recruitment, the Office of the Election Commission is set to open Samoa's online registration portal on May 6, while manual registration will begin in Aprile

The Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development under its Aged Care Budget signed financial support for the Mapuifagalele and Logoipulotu Home for the Elderly

Theft and burglary offences are on the rise and most defendants plead guilty to stealing basic necessities such as canned food or cigarettes and alcohol

A review of the minimum wage in Samoa is closer after Finance Minister Lautimuia Uelese Va'ai said the government is looking to set up a committee to guide it; the current minimum wage in Samoa is $3 per hour and came into effect in 2020

To promote a cashless economy, ANZ Bank of Samoa announced its decision to waive Visa debit card payment fees from all local banks under WST15