The Asian Development Bank is expanding its Pacific presence with strengthened offices in 11 countries.
Photo: AFP/ Jay Directo
The bank today announced it will convert four extended missions in Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu into country offices.
It will also establish seven new country offices in the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, and Tuvalu.
The bank said the new offices would improve communication with government and development partners and co-ordination on projects.
Staff will be posted by the end of 2019 and will complement the existing presence of regional offices in Fiji and Australia.
ADB's overall assistance to the Pacific has doubled every 5 years since 2005, and now stands at $US2.9 billion.
Total assistance is expected to surpass $US4 billion by 2020.