Samoa gets US$10m ADB Disaster Resilience Assistance

By Lagi Keresoma

APIA, SAMOA – 09 MARCH 2023: Samoa is getting US$10m grant out of the Asian Development Bank’s US$$38 million Pacific Disaster Resilience Program.

The fund is to assist Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati and Solomon Islands response to disasters triggered by natural hazards and health emergencies.

According to ADB Director General for the Pacific Leah Gutierrez, the assistance will provide participating countries with quick disbursing, flexible budget support for urgent relief and early recovery from disasters.

ADB noted that the recipient countries are vulnerable to the effects of natural hazards and health emergencies and ADB had supported the Pacific in the past in “strengthening policy, legislative and institutional arrangements to manage climate and disaster risk including health emergencies.”

The project is financed by a $5 million concessional loan from ADB’s ordinary capital resources and a $33 million grant from the Asian Development Fund (ADF).

The $38 million is divided:

• Kiribati – $8m grant

• Samoa – $10m grant

• Solomon Islands – $5m grant & $5m loan

• Tonga – $10m grant

ADB believes all four countries have made strong progress on building the resilience of their institutions, which build on the previous phases of the program.