PM Instructs Treasury & Central Bank to Provide Latest Economic Update

By Jeannie Penehuro/

Apia, SAMOA – 21 October 2026 – The attack on the Government continues to the extent that the Opposition are saying the Government is bankrupt and this has literally been taken by some people as true.

The allegations have been fueled by the Bureau of Statistics GDP Expenditure Report 2025/26 published by the Bureau on its website earlier this month, that reported a $200 million tala shrinkage in GDP.

The report has since been removed from its website and the Bureau said in a statement “that the report was withdrawn as a precautionary quality assurance measure following the identification of differences between the GDP-Expenditure estimates and the official GDP-Production estimates.”

In his Ministerial statement in Parliament yesterday, Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt touched on the country’s  economic status and emphasized that the public needs to be clear.

Then he instructed the two state financial institutions to provide for parliament the latest economic indicators and performance of the country. The Government financial institutions include the Central Bank of Samoa (CBS) and the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

He also referred to Statistics GDP Expenditure Report 2025/26 and asked where the reported $200m in GDP has gone and asked why the report has since been taken down from the Bureau’s website.

The Prime Minister stated that it is crucial for these government institutions to provide the up-to-date financial reports and official information to clarify and correct the public record.

Worsening Defamatory and Inciting Allegations
Earlier in his ministerial statement, he again referred to the worsening defamatory allegations and name calling on social media saying if these defaming and unsubstantiated allegations against the Government are untrue, then legal action is the next step.

Despite the Speaker’s ruling in the last parliament sitting that issues of concern by Members of Parliament must be raised within the walls of the Parliament, Opposition MPs have continued their attacks against the Prime Minister and Government on social media that the Speaker and Government see as a deliberate effort to mislead the public and undermine the Government.

The Prime Minister explained that he had not appeared on social media for nine months, in an effort to avoid causing division amongst social media supporters and why he opted for issues pertaining to the Government and the people to be addressed in Parliament.

He reminded parliament that they have he and his government and party had already been elected by the people to be their voice and the proper place to accommodate this is in Parliament rather than using social media to incite unnecessary unrest in the country.

The state of Samoa economy
According to the Minister of Finance, Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molioʻo’s 2026/2027 budget address delivered 26 June 2026, Samoa’s economy grew by 4.2% in the 2024/2025 financial year, with GDP valued at approximately SAT$3.6 billion.

Economic growth is projected to slow to 3.0% in the 2026/2027 financial year.

The budget also forecasts Government receipts of SAT$1.285 billion and expenditure of SAT$1.501 billion, resulting in a projected budget deficit of SAT$215.9 million, equivalent to 3.1% of the GDP.