Focus on private sector investment challenges

PIPSO

A RESEARCH report aimed to shed light on the drivers of and barriers to private sector investment (both foreign and local) in the Pacific was launched this week in New Zealand.

Funded by the New Zealand Institute of Pacific Research, the report — Private Sector Investment in the Pacific — was presented by Professor Simon Milne AUT associate head of School, Research and Development and director, New Zealand Tourism Research Institute at Fale Pasifika Auckland University this week.

Some questions highlighted by Professor Milne in the research included:

  • What are the potential barriers or disincentives to investment in the Pacific? To what extent can these be sustainably overcome?
  • What are the costs and risks to the receiving economies of greater investment and how can these be avoided, reduced or managed?
  • How can the growth/development impact of investment (both foreign and local) be enhanced?

In his presentation Professor Milne said investment was critical to Pacific Island countries but deeper understanding of the processes that underlie, constrain and enable private investment (foreign and local) was needed. Read more…