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Governor plans to tackle \high risk\ status head on

Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga plans to call a meeting following the Manu’a Cession Day to find out the status of the American Samoa Government, and where it stands in being removed as a high risk designee, which has been in place for a long time.

 

During last Thursday’s cabinet meeting, the governor told directors that Jerome Ierome (who was hired this year by ASG) is “is in charge of the high risk task force,” adding that “it’s been years since we faced this dilemma and it's holding back on the progress of our government when we are placed on high risk status.”

 

Lolo then called on all directors whose agencies and departments are included in the high risk status to attend the yet to be scheduled upcoming high risk meeting — and all future meetings of the task force.

 

“I expect you directors to serve on the task force,” said Lolo, adding that the Education Department and Health Department directors “have been missing from most of the meetings — no wonder why we can’t get out of the high risk designation.”

 

“Let's get together and get it out of our way. It’s been in our way for too long,” he said and noted that other important directors to attend the meetings are Budget Office, Human Resources, Procurement and Treasury.

 

He then announced that he will call a meeting of the task force to convene following the Manu’a Cession Day. “Let's get together and solve that problem” of high risk, said Lolo “We have so many good people in our team. And don’t tell me we cannot [do it]. We can do much much better than ever. So let's come together and find a solution to this problem.”

 

The governor also told directors that Ierome will be in charge of all federal programs in the local government, adding that any director whose agency gets federal grants will be required to submit to Ierome a plan on the use of such grants before they are submitted to the federal grantor.

 

Lolo said in April that this year marks ten years since ASG was first designated ‘high risk’ by some of its federal grantor agencies. He said efforts to remediate the government’s high risk status have been sporadic over the years since, notably marked by a lack of continuous focus by the departments and agencies involved.