Trade, Commerce & Manufacturing Sector

Samoa Trade Portal

About the Sector

The adoption of the Sector Wide Approach to Planning (SWAP) by Government of Samoa in 2005 has successfully brought together government Ministries and agencies, development partners, private sector organisations, non-government organisations and community-based organisations, to work collaboratively towards a common goal. In this regard, the Trade, Commerce and Manufacturing (TCM) Sector is one of the 14 Sectors determined by the Government as drivers for Samoa’s development.

The TCM eventuated after the Diagnostic Trade Integration Study (DTIS) conducted in 2010 amplified, among other things, the strong links between the trade, commerce, and manufacturing sectors. The DTIS also assessed the trade context in Samoa, determining the gaps and identifying what the Government is doing to address them. The TCM Sector Plan 2012-2016, which is built upon the DTIS, is the driving force for Key Outcomes 3 and 5 of the SDS, respectively being: ‘Revitalised Exports’; and ‘Enabling Environment for Business Development’.

The immediate governing body for the TCM-SP is the TCM Steering Committee which is made up of 19 government agencies and five private sector organisations, and is mandated to strategically oversee the implementation of the TCM-SP. The TCM-SC is also adjusted to perform the functions of the Integrated Framework National Steering Committee and the National Export Strategy Steering Committee. Moreover, the TCM-CU is mandated to coordinate and monitor the execution of the TCM-SP and to serve as Secretariat of its governing bodies.

Samoa Tade Portal Link https://samoa.tradeportal.org/

The Sector mobilised with two sources of funding: donor funding (Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF – www.enhancedif.org)); and government funding. Samoa went into an MOU with EIF in 2012 where development funds were provided to enhance the institutional capacity of the sector (Tier 1). Furthermore, the TSSP under the EIF Tier 2 window was submitted in December 2013 and commenced implementation in 2014. The TSSP focuses on providing resources for attaining medium to long term goals in the trade sector with components addressing sector policy and governance, manufacturing and linkages to other economic sectors, private sector development and foreign trade.