The former Governor of Alaska, Frank Murkowski’s relationship with Samoa goes back to the 19^th century. In 1872, his uncle was buried in Samoa.

Murkowski and his wife, Nancy Murkowski, arrived in Samoa on 30 October aboard the cruise ship, Sapphire Princess and were honoured by South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) Samoa along with US Congresswoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa, last week.

Governor Murkowski’s uncle, Baby Hughes, passed away in 1872 while on a boat journey. The vessel stopped in Samoa, where Baby Hughes was buried. The former governor and his wife wished to visit and honour his gravesite.

Congresswoman Radewagen also travelled from American Samoa to join the visit. SPBD hosted the group and accompanied them to the gravesite.

According to SPBD general manager, Paula Fa’u, the visitors also expressed interest in learning more about SPBD’s operations in Samoa, so they were taken to their centre in Vaitele.

Fa’u said the visit highlighted SPBD’s ongoing mission to empower women in Samoa and across the Pacific through access to financial services, business training, and ongoing support.

“We are deeply honored by the visit of Governor, Mrs. Murkowski and Congresswoman Radewagen,” said Fa’u.

“Their recognition of our members’ hard work and resilience affirms the importance of our shared mission to uplift Pacific communities through sustainable economic opportunity and recognizing the power of women.”

Helping families out of poverty

Founded in 2000, SPBD’s mission is to improve the quality of life of underprivileged families by providing them with meaningful economic opportunities to help lift them permanently out of poverty. SPBD recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary on 10 October 2025. Over their 25-year history, SPBD Samoa has served more than 26,000 Samoans, disbursing over $285 million across 123,000 loans. They currently support more than 2,500 women through village-based centres across the country.

During the visit to the Vaitele Fou AFC Centre, two inspiring success stories of members were shared.

Latea Opetaia of Vaitele is 66 years old, married, and a mother of 10 children. She joined the SPBD program in 2011, starting with a $1,000 loan to buy vegetables from local farmers and resell them by the roadside. With her second loan, she started an Elei design business, which grew successfully. Over the years, she expanded into a taxi business and now owns three taxis, driven by three of her children. She also runs a sewing business and a retail store from her home. Her current loan is $25,000.

 “Joining SPBD has not only helped us financially but also trained us to develop our skills and manage small businesses. SPBD helped me build a new house for my family and pay for my two youngest children’s school fees — one at NUS and one at USP,” said Opetaia.

Pesi Samuelu of Vaitele is 48 years old, married, and a mother of two. She joined SPBD in 2017 with a $1,000 loan, which she used to start a home-based food business, preparing and delivering cooked meals to people in her village. As her loan amounts increased, she expanded by opening a retail store, where she continues to sell her food while spending more time with her family. Her current loan is $12,000.

“Joining the SPBD program helped me change my mindset about business. It has become my family’s main source of income. Through SPBD, I managed to renovate our home, making it safer and healthier for my family,” said Samuelu.