A course to boost skills in project management in Samoa and the Pacific Islands has been launched in Apia.

The five-month long project management course was launched on Monday by the U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, Tony Greubel, at the Samoa Shipping Services premises in Savalalo.

It will be funded by the American government’s aid agency, the United States Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D) and is facilitated in partnership with the University of South Pacific (USP) through the Ready Project.

Giving the keynote address at the launch, Mr Greubel said the course is designed to strengthen the capacity of Samoa’s leaders to boost the country’s resilience against extreme weather events and natural disasters.

“Being among this group of individuals who have shown their commitment for their country’s sustainable and long-term development is truly inspiring,” he said. “The U.S. government is proud to stand by your shoulder-to-shoulder as you (make) progress along your development journey.”

The objective of the course is to assist Pacific island countries in becoming disaster resilient and environmentally friendly. It aims to build the capacity of governments and institutions to develop and implement effective environmental and disaster mitigation policies and strategies, and targets leaders who will be able to strengthen their management skills to design and implement disaster resilience projects.

Mid-level managers of government departments, non-governmental organizations and the private sectors in Samoa and other Pacific Island economies are the targets of the five month course. 

It is the first ever project management course to be supported by the USAID in Samoa and is being rolled out to other parts of the region. Over 400 people are expected to participate including women and people with disability. 

Mr Greubel said there is international funding available to assist countries improve the livelihood of their people. 

“In our consultations with partner countries, including Samoa, government leaders and other stakeholders identified project management capacity as an area that requires improvement to ensure effective project implementation and efficient management of resources,” he said.

The 11 island countries participating in the U.S.A.I.D Ready Project comprise Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.