Father Ofa Kitaiwan Vaihu, St Theresa Catholic Church, Lepea
Afioga i Minisita o le Kapeneta
Afioga i Sui Usufono o le Palemene o Samoa
Taitaifono ma Sui o le Komiti Faatonu, Faletupe ole BSP Samoa
BSP Financial Group CEO, Mark Robinson
O Paaga ma Uo Mamae o le Faletupe ole BSP
O lea ua maea ona e totō le niu i le tuāoi auā le alofa ma le agalelei o le Atua. A’o lenei afiafī, ua tatou fesilafai i lagimā ma le soifua laulelei auā le polo fa’asoa a le Atua e ala i le soifua ma le malosi.
Ou te manatu o lenei itula o le a ou lē toe faloina le afa loloa auā e tonu le manatu elē tau fa’afuluina le pa taulafo, pe tau laeia foi le ma’aosofia a le tautai nofova’a i paia ma mamalu o Samoa, o le atunuu ua uma ona mamanu ma fatu fa’aselu ona upu.
Ae o le a lafo le gagana ae sei fai se upu i le gagana faaperetania aua le asō ma lona faamoemoe ona o loo filogia le tatou mafutaga.
It gives me great pleasure as Prime Minister of Samoa, to address this gathering today, and I extend a warm welcome to the Bank South Pacific (Samoa) Ltd board members, the Group Chief Executive Officer for BSP Financial Group Ltd, Mark Robinson for his first visit to Samoa as a BSP (Samoa) Ltd board member and BSP Financial Group Ltd’s Group Chief Executive Officer, as well as each one of you here today. Your presence here is a testament to the significance of our shared undertakings and the vital role BSP and each of its customers and partners play in shaping our nation’s progress and future.
As Prime Minister, I am accurately aware of the importance of your contributions to our economy and society.
As we reflect on the journey of BSP in Samoa, we are reminded of the dedication, hard work, and innovation that BSP has brought in the last 8 years in Samoa. Through these 8 years, BSP has provided employment to over 100 individuals each year, it’s harnessed our local talent into governance and leadership roles in Samoa and the region, its contribution to our nation’s economic growth, via the total taxes paid of $53.0 million tala in the last 8 years, as well as its services and creating value to over 67 thousand private households, businesses and organisations.
BSP (Samoa) Limited is well commended for its due focus on governance by having:
- The majority of independent directors in its Board;
- Localising most of its top management positions; and
- The promotion of Samoa nationals to the BSP Group level
It has also been focusing and supporting the community and its funded projects here in Samoa benefiting many families and communities. We are grateful to corporates and organisations such as BSP for filling in these crucial opportunities in our country.
I am informed the values of BSP include, integrity, leadership, people, teamwork and community which resonate deeply with the principles we hold dear as a nation. It is a driving force behind our economic progress and the foundation to a prosperous future for our nation. I urge each one of us to do our part.
Our government is committed to fostering an environment of growth and innovation, where businesses can thrive and customers can access the best services and products.
In today’s rapidly changing world, adaptability and innovation are key to success. In particular, we live in times where climate action is critical and digital transformation is becoming a norm worldwide. I am comforted to note that Samoa’s financial system is also gradually embracing these new and challenging areas as reflected in the Finance Sector Plan (FY2020/2021-2024/2025) and the Pathway for the Development of Samoa (FY2021/2022-FY2025/2026) as they will greatly shape our nation’s economic sustainability in the years ahead. I believe BSP and all our financial institutions alike have an important role to play in these initiatives to ensure our small island economy progresses in tandem with the rest of the world. Therefore, I encourage BSP to continue embracing innovation and the evolving times. Given your leading market position, BSP’s success is intertwined with the prosperity of our nation, and I have no doubt that, together, we can achieve even greater heights for Samoa and her people.
Moreover, and as a personal challenge from a leader of a small island developing state, I would like the BSP Group to consider opening branches in New Zealand and Australia. This will open up another potential financial service or avenue for our Pacific diaspora in these two countries as well as assist in servicing correspondent banking relationships for our Pacific financial jurisdictions.
Again, I acknowledge the presence of the BSP Samoa Ltd Board, including the BSP Financial Group Ltd Group CEO, Mark Robinson as well as BSP’s customers and partners present this evening.
Ia agalelei mai le Atua ma faamanuia i le mamalu o le au valaaulia, le Komiti Faatonu faapea le pulega ma le aufaigaluega uma a le tatou Faletupe o le Pasefika i Saute.
I wish this gathering a joyous and successful evening tonight.
Faafetai.
