17 Jul 2007

Niue plan developed to link private sector and government

2:32 pm on 17 July 2007

The Niue Private Sector Development Plan has been drawn up in what is to be a working partnership between the private sector and the government.

The plan was produced as a so-called roadmap for 2007 to 2010 that will work towards developing Niue's economy and overcoming the country's private sector problems and constraints.

The President of the Niue Chamber of Commerce, Catherine Etuata, says this is the first time there's been a formalised agreement where the private sector can have open dialgoue with the government.

"the private sector has acutally never felt that they were listened to in the past and decisions were made with all good intentions probably by government that they were making that decision in light of the private sector but they didn't really know what was happening in the private sector to make the right decisions. But this is joining the two groups together so that it actually works as one."

Catherine Etuata says the Chamber of Commerce will be meeting regularly with the government to discuss what's happening in the private sector and ways the government could improve its private sector policies.