WOMEN and BUSINESS in the PACIFIC Anyone Seeking to Support Pacifi C Women and Contribute to Entrepreneurship, Business Development, and Private Sector Growth
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Women and Business in the Pacifi c This book provides a current and comprehensive analysis of the context in which Pacifi c women engage in the private sector, as well as a detailed list of strategies to increase their participation in business. Drawing on research and data from seven Pacifi c countries, it o ers a diversity of innovative and pragmatic ways to empower women and enhance their economic opportunities. Jointly undertaken by the Asian Development Bank’s Pacifi c Private Sector Development Initiative and the Government of Australia, this study is valuable for WOMEN AND BUSINESS IN THE PACIFIC WOMEN anyone seeking to support Pacifi c women and contribute to entrepreneurship, business development, and private sector growth. About the Asian Development Bank ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacifi c, while sustaining its e orts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in , it is owned by members— from the region. Its main instruments for helping its developing member countries are policy dialogue, loans, equity investments, guarantees, grants, and technical assistance. WOMEN AND About the Pacifi c Private Sector Development Initiative PSDI is a technical assistance program undertaken in partnership with the Government BUSINESS of Australia, the Government of New Zealand, and the Asian Development Bank. PSDI supports ADB’s Pacifi c developing member countries to improve the enabling environment for business and to support inclusive, private sector-led economic growth. The support of the Australian and New Zealand governments and ADB IN THE PACIFIC has enabled PSDI to operate in the region for years and assist with more than reforms. AUGUST ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines www.adb.org ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK Ana File-Heather Ana opened an after-hours garment printing shop in her home in 2013, which she expanded to a tiny shop 2 years later after leaving her day job. Identifying a gap in the market for youth apparel, she expanded to stock global brands, before moving on to start her own streetwear label. Her shop has since grown to fi ve times its original size. Ana recently opened the Cook Islands’ fi rst local brands surf shop. She now employs fi ve people, including four young women. (Photo by Ana File Heather) Vitila Vuniwaqa Vitila owns an organic farm in Nadi, Fiji producing honey, cassava, watermelon, papaya, and other seasonal fruits. She started the farm in 2015 after recovering from a stroke, which ended her career as a fl ight attendant and left her physically challenged. She now employs two people and is producing a natural moisturizing cream using her honey and beeswax, which is sold at local markets and the airport. (Photo by Lavenia Koimaitotoya) Tofi lau Fiti Leung Wai Fiti is the founder and chief executive o cer of Samoa’s largest books and stationary chain, which she established in 2008 following a career in law and academia and after identifying a need for an educational products retailer in Samoa. She now has seven stores, including one each in American Samoa and New Zealand. Fiti is also the author of fi ve children’s books written in Samoan and English and a supporter of a variety of philanthropic initiatives supporting literacy. (Photo by Jody Toleafoa) Ann Josephine Johnston Josie drew on her experience running her mother’s grocery shop when she opened a small menswear shop in Apia in 2003 with a loan from the bank. She opened the shop after noticing a gap in the market for brand-name men’s clothing suited to Samoa’s weather, which she was able to fi ll by becoming a licensed retailer for popular surf brands, thereby guaranteeing authenticity and supply. Josie now owns two clothing and accessory shops and employs fi ve full-time sta , including three women. (Photo by Ann Josephine Johnston) Hellen Saera Hilli Hellen established a tailoring and clothing repair shop in Honiara, Solomon Islands, which she later expanded into a sewing school, training others to establish their own tailoring businesses. Her daughter has since taken over management of the school as Hellen has moved to her home province to establish a cocoa farming and exporting business. (Photo by Katherine Passmore) Dennyse Maki Dennyse is a traditional costume designer and make-up artist for events. She has kept this business alive despite becoming a full-time veterinary student, and recently started a small-scale piggery. She hopes to apply her veterinary qualifi cation in Vanuatu’s livestock export market to see international standards met and to increase the export of organic livestock products. (Photo by Starlight Photography) WOMEN AND BUSINESS IN THE PACIFIC AUGUST 2018 ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO) © 2018 Asian Development Bank 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City, 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines Tel +63 2 632 4444; Fax +63 2 636 2444 www.adb.org Some rights reserved. Published in 2018. ISBN 978-92-9261-286-3 (print), 978-92-9261-287-0 (electronic) Publication Stock No. BKK178655-2 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22617/BKK178655-2 The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. 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This CC license does not apply to non-ADB copyright materials in this publication. If the material is attributed to another source, please contact the copyright owner or publisher of that source for permission to reproduce it. ADB cannot be held liable for any claims that arise as a result of your use of the material. Please contact [email protected] if you have questions or comments with respect to content, or if you wish to obtain copyright permission for your intended use that does not fall within these terms, or for permission to use the ADB logo. Notes: In this publication, “$” refers to United States dollars. Corrigenda to ADB publications may be found at http://www.adb.org/publications/corrigenda. Unless otherwise specified, all photos are by the author of each chapter or by ADB. Printed on recycled paper Contents Tables, Figures, and Boxes iv Forewords viii Acknowledgments xi Abbreviations xii Introduction 1 A Framework for Empowering Women into Business 4 Fiji 56 Kiribati 95 Papua New Guinea 127 Samoa 169 Solomon Islands 208 Tonga 247 Vanuatu 281 Appendixes 319 Tables, Figures, and Boxes TABLES FRAMEWORK 2.1 Actors and Strategies to Economically Empower Women 13 2.2 Women’s Political Participation in Select Pacific Island Countries 22 2.3 Options for Women-Friendly Business Vehicles 35 2.4 Common Complaints by Pacific Businesswomen 39 about Accessing Finance 2.5 Key Recommendations for Increasing Women’s Engagement 48 in Business FIJI 3.1 Enrollment in Educational Institutions 61 3.2 Women Salary and Wage Earners in Fiji 63 3.3 Women in Fiji’s Informal Economy 66 3.4 Examples of Business License Fees 73 3.5 Jurisdiction of Courts 88 KIRibati 4.1 Gender and Employment by Sector 103 4.2 Informal Work and Economic Activity 104 PAPUA NEW GUINEA 5.1 Gender and Employment by Sector 134 5.2 Informal Work and Economic Activity 137 5.3 Number of Businesses by Entity Type 141 SAMOA 6.1 Business License Fees 184 6.2 Proportion of Land in Samoa by Type 187 6.3 Mediation Success Rate: Court-Annexed Mediation 200 6.4 Documents Required to Export 206 Tables, Figures, and Boxes v SO LOMON ISLANDS 7.1 Top Occupations for Women in Solomon Islands 215 7.2 Average Annual Wage and Salary Income by Sector and Gender 216 7.3 Households Earning Income from Subsistence 219 and Business Activities by Area 7.4 Business License Fees Paid in Solomon Islands 226 7.5 Newly Created Business Categories and Fees Payable, 2016 226 7.6 Solomon Islands Global Trade Relationships 244 7.7 Border and Documentary Compliance 245 TONGA 8.1 School Enrollment and Tertiary Qualifications 252 8.2 Number and Percentage of Women Salary and Wage Earners 254 8.3 Number and Percentage of Women in the Informal Economy 257 8.4 Number of Formal Businesses Owned by Women 259 8.5 Process for Registering a Business Name 261 8.6 Jurisdiction of Tonga’s Courts 273 VANUATU 9.1 Gender-Disaggregated Management of Cooperatives, 2014 297 FIGURES FRAMEWORK 2.1 Strategies for Empowering Women 9 SAMOA 6.1 Labor Force Participation Rates by Sex and Age Group, 2011 177 TONGA 8.1 Land Tenure System in Tonga 266 VANUATU 9.1 Population Aged 15 and Older by Gender and Labor Market Activity 287 vi Tables, Figures, and Boxes BOXES FRAMEWORK 2.1 Potential Unconscious