Samoa receives HomeBiogas systems intended to reduce imported fuels
Israeli Ambassador1
Israeli Ambassador2
Israel's Ambassador to Samoa, Alon Roth-Snir (seated center), and his delegation take a group photo with Samoa’s Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Ale Vena (second left) and senior government officials.
[courtesy photo]
by Asi Andrew Fa'asau
Apia, SAMOA — (February 21, 2026) The Government of Israel has donated 15 HomeBiogas systems to the Government of Samoa in a gesture of friendship and sustainable partnership.
The donation was officially handed over by Israel's Ambassador to Samoa, Alon Roth-Snir last Friday in a ceremony held at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), where Samoa’s Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Ale Vena, received the systems on behalf of the government.
The donation coincided with the presentation of credentials by Israel’s Ambassador, Alon Roth-Snir, to Samoa’s Head of State, Tuimaleali’ifano Va’aletoa Sualauvi II, further cementing cooperation ties between the two countries.
“These systems will help households turn waste into clean energy and fertilizer, reducing reliance on imported fuels while promoting sustainable agriculture,” Minister Vena said. “It is a practical step forward in our journey toward climate resilience and energy independence.”
The HomeBiogas technology transforms organic waste — such as food scraps and animal manure — into daily cooking gas and nutrient-rich bio-slurry fertilizer. Each unit can generate up to three hours of clean cooking fuel per day, while also reducing methane emissions that contribute to climate change.
In his remarks, Ambassador Alon Roth-Snir expressed his pride that on the first day he was officially recognized as Israel's Ambassador to Samoa, he had been able to hand over this special donation, highlighting Israel’s commitment to sharing innovative solutions with Pacific partners.
“This donation reflects our belief in practical cooperation," Ambassador Roth-Snir declared. "Samoa has shown leadership in adopting renewable technologies, and we are proud to support that vision.”
Samoa was first introduced to HomeBiogas technology in April 2022, when the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF), through its Crops Division, in collaboration with the Scientific Research Organization of Samoa (SROS), installed the country’s first HomeBiogas 4.0 system at Nu’u.
This installation made Samoa the first Pacific nation to adopt the innovative Israeli technology. The system decomposes food scraps, waste, and animal manure to produce renewable cooking gas and bio-slurry fertilizer, offering households both clean energy and improved soil health.
Later, in 2024, HomeBiogas expanded its presence in Samoa through a partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), deploying 40 systems across eight villages to further strengthen community resilience and renewable energy adoption.
The Israeli Ambassador to Samoa expressed his support of Samoa’s Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Ale Vena's remarks on the benefits of HomeBiogas with regard to its positive impacts on the environment, by creating clean energy that will make life healthier and easier.
"But for me, there is a direct line in this cooperation between Israel and Samoa, and the decision taken by the Prime Minister of Samoa recently to open an embassy in Jerusalem this year," Ambassador Roth-Snir shared. "I believe this shows the path forward of our connection that friendship is not just words and promises. Instead, friendship is cooperation, and this is just one part of the cooperation that we plan. We are sure that we will be able to conduct business between our two countries.
"Israeli innovation has created these Biogas units, and it created many more educational, environmental, Health and other achievements and innovations. We would like to be able to cooperate with Samoa to bring more and more of our technology to your beautiful country."
On 9 January, 2026, Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Polataivao Schmidt announced Samoa’s intention to establish an embassy in Jerusalem.
He made the declaration during a gathering at the Samoa branch of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, telling attendees that he had instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin preparations for opening the office later in the year. The announcement positioned Samoa to become the third Pacific nation — after Papua New Guinea and Fiji — to establish an embassy in Jerusalem.