20 Apr 2011

Cooks economic summit affirms commitment to public-private partnership

1:34 pm on 20 April 2011

The president of the Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce says last week's economic summit made clear the government's commitment to working closely with the private sector.

A meeting with development partners followed the two-day summit, which was organised by an economic taskforce established by the government in January.

Steve Anderson, who is also the chamber's representative on the taskforce, says the summit produced some very clear direction with regard to a number of areas of the economy, as well as a desire to put behind what he terms a very fractious relationship between the previous administration and the private sector.

"There's a new government, the private sector wants to work closely with the new government to develop the economy. I think development partners see that partnership, they're wanting to fund infrastructure projects and have the local private sector deliver those projects as much as possible so that the benefits not only of the outcome but the delivery rolls into the economy."

The president of the Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce, Steve Anderson.