The President of the Asian Development Bank (A.D.B), Takehiko Nakao, and his team arrived at the Faleolo International Airport yesterday evening.

Mr. Nakao was greeted by the Minister of Finance, Sili Epa Tuioti, and other senior Government officials in the VIP lounge of the airport, before being shown around the first of their many site visits: Sun Pacific Energy’s solar farm, which A.D.B loaned $2 million to develop. 

It was part of their Private Sector Operations Department (P.S.O.D). 

President Nakao is a strong proponent of public-private partnerships in his role as president, since 2013. 

Not only that, but Sun Pacific Energy was P.S.O.D’s first energy deal in the Pacific and the first A.D.B investment supporting an independent power producer in the region.

Mr. Nakao is joined by a delegation of six A.D.B. staff, and will explore more sites funded by the organisation until their departure on Wednesday evening.

The visit’s first day was concluded with a welcoming ceremony at Taumeasina Island Resort.

This morning, Mr. Nakao meets with the Minister of Finance, Sili Epa Tuioti, who is also the Governor of A.D.B in Samoa. 

He will follow with a “courtesy call” to Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, where they will sign a host country agreement between Samoa and the bank.

Over the two days, the A.D.B delegation will visited their funded sites in Aleisa Tafitoala and Fausaga, where they will be shown around by Leasiosiofa’asisina Oscar Malielegaoi, the C.E.O of Ministry of Finance and Tologata Tile Leia Tuimalealiifano the General Manager of the Electric Power Corporation.

Profile: 

Takehiko Nakao is the President of the Asian Development Bank (A.D.B.) and the Chairperson of ADB’s Board of Directors. He was elected President by A.D.B’s Board of Governors and assumed office in April 2013.

Before joining A.D.B, Mr. Nakao was the Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs at the Ministry of Finance of Japan.

In a career spanning more than three decades, Mr. Nakao has gained extensive experience in international finance and development. 

He has held senior positions in the Ministry of Finance in Japan, which he joined in 1978, including Director-General of the International Bureau, where he fostered close ties with leading figures in the Asia-Pacific region, and G20 nations.

He was assigned as Minister at the Embassy of Japan in Washington D.C., between 2005 and 2007, and from 1994 to 1997 served as economist and advisor at the International Monetary Fund.

He has published books and numerous papers on financial and economic issues, and in 2010 and 2011 was a Visiting Professor at the University of Tokyo.

Born in 1956, Mr. Nakao holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Tokyo and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley.

A.D.B. President schedule in Samoa

Tuesday 8th January, 2019

9 – 10am Meeting with Minister of Finance & ADB Governor Venue: CBS Conference Room, Level 6 CBS Building

10.30 – 11.30am Courtesy call to Prime Minister and Signing of Host Country Agreement between the Government of Samoa and ADB

Venue: PMs Office

11.30am – 12.15pm Joint Press Conference (PM Tuilaepa & ADB President) Government Building – Level 5 (PM’s office – waiting room)

2.45pm – 3.15pm Site visit 1 – SVM Green – Samoa Agribusiness Support Project Attendees:
• Government of Samoa – Leasiosiofaasisina Oscar Malielegaoi (CEO Ministry of Finance)
• ADB: Mr. Yoichiro Ikeda, Ms. Ma. Carmela D. Locsin, Mr. Masayuki Tachiiri, Ms. Sallyanne Shute-Trembath, Mr. Ariel Javellana, Ms. Maria Melei.

Venue: SVM Green, Aleisa

3.30pm -5pm Site visit 2 – Fiaga Power Station and Battery Storage Attendees:
• Government of Samoa – Leasiosiofaasisina Oscar Malielegaoi (CEO Ministry of Finance), Tologata Tile Leia Tuimalealiifano (CEO Electric Power Corporation)
• ADB: Mr. Yoichiro Ikeda, Ms. Ma. Carmela D. Locsin, Mr. Masayuki Tachiiri, Ms. Sallyanne Shute-Trembath, Mr. Ariel Javellana, Ms. Maria Melei.

Venue: Fiaga Power Station, Aleisa

7-9pm Reception hosted by the Government of Samoa at the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum

Wednesday 9th January, 2019

10 – 11.30am Commissioning ceremony for Tafitoala & Fausaga Small Hydropower Plant (co-financed by the Governments of Samoa and New Zealand, ADB and EU)

Venue: Hydro Power Plant at Tafitoala

3.15 pm ADB President and Delegation depart Samoa