PRESS RELEASE - 18th August 2010 - Last week's successful Pacific Investment Summit in Sydney, Australia, has been applauded for its work to secure new investment for Pacific island countries.

The Summit is an initiative of Pacific Islands Trade and Invest (PT&I), the trade and investment promotion agency of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.


Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade, said that the Summit was "a great opportunity for investors to interact with policy makers from the region to review the state of investment and private sector development in the islands, establish opportunities for match-making and explore openings for increasing foreign investment flows to the Pacific Island Countries."


PT&I's Sydney office was the driving force behind the conference, which attracted 150 private sector entrepreneurs and policy makers from around the region.


Caleb Jarvis, Trade Commissioner (Australia) for Pacific Islands Trade and Invest, said "The idea to host the summit came about two years ago when we met with Business Advantage, our co-host of the Summit. We recognized that there are more significant large scale investment opportunities in the pacific islands region now than ever before."


Mr Jarvis told those attending the Summit that, as investors and leaders of business in the region, they had a crucial role in the development of Pacific island countries as they had the opportunity to create employment that would lead to economic growth and prosperity.


"Our job at Pacific Islands Trade and Invest is to help business and investors in Pacific island countries grow and be profitable. We have great contacts through the region and we understand the needs and motivations of investors and business. If you have the appetite and seek solid returns then I urge you to contact us and we will connect you to the right people and partners," said Mr Jarvis.


Mr Jarvis said he expects some significant new investments to result from the Summit. "We are now following up with several serious investors," said Mr Jarvis. "The Summit has been very successful in raising the profile of the Pacific among Australian investors and we'll be working with investors in the coming months to ensure they can make the most of the opportunities they have identified."


Pacific Islands Trade and Invest (PT&I) is the trade and investment promotion agency of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. With offices in Australia, China, Japan and New Zealand, PT&I helps Pacific island countries to attract investment and export goods and services in key markets. PT&I was formerly known as the Pacific Islands Trade and Investment Commission.