CNMI governor David Apatang Photo: Facebook / CNMI Office of the Governor & Lt. Governor
The Commonwealth of Northen Mariana Islands (CNMI) is open for business and eager to attract outside capital to help revive its struggling economy, the governor of the self-governing United State territory says.
David Apatang made the pitch at interested investors at the US government's Pacific Investment Summit in Hawaii this week.
Apatang told representatives at the Honolulu forum that investors could "buy an island" in the Northern Marianas.
Fresh on the heels of an Interagency Group on Insular Areas meeting in Washington, the governor invited companies to look north of Guam for their next investment.
"We are open for investors. So if you don't know where the Mariana is, we're right next to Guam," he said.
"Come and visit us. We are looking for investors. You come and visit us, and we'll take care of you.
"If you're ready to meet, we have a lot of islands north of Saipan. You can buy an island, you can lease an island."
Apatang called on Christopher Landau, deputy secretary of state and board chairman of the US International Development Finance Corporation, to help the CNMI revisit federal policies he said have hampered development.
"There are a lot of policies that were established back then. We need to take a look at them and change them," he said.
He said certain federal regulations have become stumbling blocks in efforts to revive the CNMI's tourism-driven economy.
Hosted by the East-West Center, the 'Pacific Agenda: Investment, Security, and Shared Prosperity Summit' featured keynote speakers Landau; Solomon Islands Prime Minister and Pacific Islands Forum chair Jeremiah Manele; and Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command.
The senior-level, invitation-only forum aims to advance viable investment across the Pacific, bringing together Pacific Islands leaders, private sector representatives, and senior US government officials.
Discussions centered on infrastructure, critical minerals and supply chains, the digital economy and telecommunications, energy security, tourism, agriculture and food security, health systems, and banking and financial services.
Organisers said the summit is guided by the principle that lasting economic development and regional security are best achieved through private sector-driven growth, with governments playing an enabling role.
The goal is to identify commercially viable projects aligned with US and Pacific national priorities and translate shared objectives into concrete outcomes that promote long-term regional stability and economic progress.
