For a small island nation we continue to be troubled by the increasing number of contraband confiscated by local law enforcement authorities during raids. 

Every time the Police hold a press conference, following a raid on a private property, the vast array of confiscated firearms on display as well as illegal drugs and paraphernalia leaves one dumbfounded on how they are being smuggled into the country without detection by the authorities.

However, in good news for the country, the Cabinet in June this year approved the awarding of a USD$3.5 million contract for the procurement of a container cargo x-ray scanner which will be installed at the Matautu wharf.

The container x-ray scanner is funded by the Asian Development Bank (A.D.B.) through the Enhancing Safety, Security and Sustainability of Apia Port Project to boost border security and screen containers imported into Samoa.

Last week, in moves to further secure Samoa’s international borders, the New Zealand and Samoa Governments announced a partnership to secure Samoa’s borders to halt the illegal importing of illicit drugs and weapons.

The announcement came on the back of the presentation of a WST$50,000 ID card system to the Samoa Airport Authority, which oversees State-owned aviation assets and infrastructure including the Faleolo airport. 

Samoa’s Minister of Works Transport and Infrastructure, Olo Fiti Va'ai, also announced at the presentation ceremony that the New Zealand Government will fund a multimillion tala 3D-CT scan equipment for the Faleolo airport.

He said the multi-million tala project will be completed in the next 12 months and will further enhance border security, while assisting in the detection of illegal or unwanted material and equipment being imported into the country. 

There is no doubt, the completion of the multimillion tala project next year and the D-CT scan equipment’s installation at the Faleolo airport will work in tandem with the container x-ray scanner at Matautu. It will ultimately result in the securing of Samoa’s two main international gateways at Faleolo airport and Matautu wharf.

We commend the Samoa and New Zealand Governments for giving priority to the security of Samoa’s borders, and also acknowledge the role of the A.D.B. which is funding the procurement of the container x-ray scanner for Matautu.

For an island nation that is heavily reliant on imports of food and machinery for its citizens, Samoa’s borders remain vulnerable. However, your intervention will now become a deterrence to smugglers, who over the years have capitalised on the vulnerability and porous state of monitoring at our main gateways.

With the threat of transnational crime continuing to hang over a lot of Pacific Island nations including Samoa, we can already see the benefits of these new State-owned assets playing a significant role in mitigating those threats, after they are commissioned by the local authorities and become operationalised.

But the biggest benefit to this country would come in two years' time when Samoa plays host to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Apia. Delegates would want assurances from the host Government of their security and wellbeing during the 2-3 days of conferences. 

A fully operational container x-ray scanner at Matautu and 3D-CT scan equipment at the Faleolo airport will give the delegates confidence to travel to Samoa – seeing the massive investments in these two state-of-the-art machines is a statement of intent to other Commonwealth nations that Samoa as hosts takes its role seriously.

While we acknowledge that the container x-ray scanner at Matautu and 3D-CT scan equipment at Faleolo does not provide a one-size-fits-all solution to tackle illegal smuggling, for the country to go out of its way to secure these state-of-the-art machines through its various donor and bilateral partnerships, shows maturity and a strong desire to address these long standing issues.