American Samoa’s Economic Development Implementation Plan (EDIP), prepared by a government appointed task force, has outlined priority initiatives to be funded with the territory’s share of the federal State Small Business Credit Initiative. (SSBCI).

The territory was awarded two years ago $10.5 million under the SSBCI, administered by the U.S. Treasury Department, but American Samoa has spent thus far around $50,000, and only for administrative costs.

American Samoa’s amended SSBCI application was resubmitted earlier this year to the federal government, and is pending approval. The governor’s office in a news release in March this year said that the amended application “will revolutionize our economic development and healthcare delivery systems.”

“I am excited by the prospects of this federal program because it possesses the capacity to positively impact economic development as well as transforming our healthcare system with gradual movement towards private third party healthcare service providers,” Lolo is quoted in the release.

Specific information on the revised application has not been made public by the administration, but the EDIP released early last month cites priority projects for SSBCI funds, as a way to grow the economy and provide jobs.

According to the EDIP, under the subtitle “State Small Business Credit Initiative”, the  SSBCI economic development initiatives “prioritized below are a function of the US Treasury approval” of the American Samoa SSBCI application:

•            Leverage the federal Affordable Care Act to develop a healthcare industry: create medical malls to include specialty medical clinics, dental care, preventive care, mobile home care, nursing home care, and ancillary services

•            Multifaceted food processing facility to include both fishery and agriculture based products

•            Inter-island or regional airline opportunity

•            pharmaceutical production

•            Sports fantasy - social interactive gaming

•            Call and data center

•            Others (no details were provided on this)

OVERVIEW

Included in the 40-page EDIP document is an overview from co-chairmen: Commerce Department director Keniseli Lafaele and Territorial Office of Fiscal Reform executive director Alfonso ‘Pete’ Galeai. 

It says that the 16-member task force — which included public and private sector members — was to develop the EDIP based upon a comprehensive review of the many existing economic plans and studies.

“This plan is designed as a strategic guide to help American Samoa generate jobs, retain existing jobs, and stimulate industrial and commercial growth for the next decade,” it says.

As the ASG agency with economic development as its primary mission, the DOC “promotes the economic ecosystems in which jobs are created through a wide range of technical, planning, public works and infrastructure investments,” the co-chairs say.

“With a demonstrated history of economic planning and public investment, DOC strives to advance regional and global competitiveness, create good-paying jobs, and effectively leverage public and private resources,” they said. “On that proven record, DOC is the logical choice to lead EDIP operations and activities and to provide the necessary technical and support staff to the EDIP Task Force.”

According to the overview, the task force was divided into units to identify the concerns, issues, needs, potential funding sources, and timelines culled from existing plans and studies. Incorporating these gleanings, the units delineated a pragmatic economic development and community revitalization strategy utilizing a prioritized sector platform.

Said platform was constructed by member consensus after painstaking analyses of American Samoa’s 2013-2017 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), 2010 Tourism Master Plan, 2008 Territorial General Plan, 2008 Economic Advisory Committee Policy and Action Plan, and the 2002 Transforming the Economy of American Samoa: A Report to the President of the United States of America through the Secretary of the U. S. Department of the Interior, the summary said.

Cognizant of agriculture’s significant role in both the economic and health clusters, the task force also included in the EDIP recommendations from the Community and Natural Resources (CNR nee Land Grant) Division of the American Samoa Community College (ASCC).

“Lastly, current economic development initiatives by DOC have been made part and parcel of this EDIP,” the overview said.