Government of Samoa
Government of Samoa
02/02/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 02/01/2024 21:39
KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Minister – Honourable Faualo Harry Jeffrey Schuster at the Official Handover of Vehicles Donated by the Government of Japan Friday, 2 February 2024, 10am at[...]
- Your Excellency - Senta Keisuke (Ambassador of Japan to Samoa)
- Officials from the Embassy of Japan
- Commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo and the Executive of the Ministry of Police, Prisons and Corrections
- Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
I am pleased to extend a very warm welcome to you all.
Talofa lava. Ohayō and Good morning.
Transportation plays a vital role in the daily operations of the Ministry of Police, Prisons and Corrections.
Therefore, it is indeed an honour to be here today to witness and celebrate the handover of the fourteen (14) new vehicles; funded through the kind assistance of the Government of Japan through its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects.
The contract for this project was signed on the 16th of March 2023 and we have the opportunity today to witness the first phase of this contract in the handover of these 14 vehicles; which comprises of ten (10) vehicles for Samoa Police Service and four (4) for the Samoa Prisons & Corrections Services.
This kind donation includes:
- Seven (7) Land Cruiser Double Cab Pickups
- Five (5) Land Cruiser Troop Carriers
- One (1) 30 Seat Coaster Bus
- One (1) Isuzu Cargo Truck
The initial request was submitted in July 2022 and was approved in March 2023. This is an upgrade to the Ministry's assets with these additional vehicles and given the limited resources we have, this project will greatly assist and improve the service delivery of our core functions to the people of Samoa as well as our international partners.
The total cost of this Project amounts to USD$353, 988.00 equivalent to SAT$909,750.00 for Samoa Police Service and USD$312,937.00 equivalent to SAT804,249.00 for Prisons & Corrections Services including the construction of a multipurpose hall for Vaiaata Prison which we had requested for an extension of twelve months to construct.
At this juncture, I wish on behalf of the Government of Samoa to convey our sincerest gratitude to the Government of Japan for the timely delivery of these assets to help Samoa's needs and the Ministry of Police in particular, to uupgrade its resources for security arrangements in the hosting of the upcoming CHOGM.
The purpose and willingness to make this a certainty; and the financial contribution will certainly have a positive impact as we continue our work in making Samoa a safer place in the Pacific. We do hope, that we will continue this great relationship with the request for an extension to construct the multipurpose hall for Prison and other requests for the CHOGM2 to be hosted by Samoa later this year.
Again, thank you for your assistance to the Ministry through this project and the ongoing support in the work of the Ministry.
God Bless Japan!
God Bless Samoa!
God Bless you all who are here today!
[Link] February 2, 2024