By Pesi Fonua

Tonga still faces challenges with digital adoption, particularly in business operations and even more so in the informal sector, which will need to be addressed for Tonga to fully realise the benefit of digital revolution, the Minister of Trade and Economic Development, Hon Samiu Vaipulu said this week.

He was speaking at the launching of a Tonga Trade Policy Framework and an eCommerce Readiness Assessment report, on 12 August at Ancient Tonga in Fangaloto, Tongatapu, which spells out Tonga's vision to develop better policy.

The Tonga Trade Policy Framework (TTPF) was formulated in the early 2016 through technical assistance secured by the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat  from the International Trade Centre and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

There was a conviction that the commitment would provide the necessary policy direction to address the trade challenges that Tonga continually faces, and to ensure an exclusive and sustainable and competitive trading environment that will lead to better trade performance.

PACER Plus

On 17 June 2017 in Nuku’alofa, Australia and New Zealand, and nine Pacific Islands nations, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu signed the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus, aligning their trade and investment rules and regulations with their obligations under a regional free trade deal.

At the time Tonga was in a dilemma over the signing of the PACER Plus by the former Prime Minister Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva. The right for the Prime Minister to sign the PACER Plus Treaty was questioned, but in the end the signing process was completed when King Tupou VI ratified the PACER Plus Treaty on 27 March 2020.

Hon. Vaipulu expressed his sincere conviction that through “government coordination and cooperation we will be able to develop coherent measures to achieve our long term strategic development goal for Trade.

“The vision to develop a coherent policy and sustainable trade is imperative and has been a drive for economic growth.”

He admitted that Tonga still faces challenges with digital adoption, particularly in business operations and even more so in the informal sector which will need to be addressed for Tonga to fully realise the benefit of digital revolution.

While the launch of Tonga’s trade policy framework marked a critical milestone, he also stressed a need to reflect Tonga’s special circumstances, in particular, issues of climate change, the COVID-19 Pandemic and the challenges of the multilateral trading system.

“Let us join together to progress Trade in Tonga like the weaving of mats, to enable the successful implementation of Tonga Trade Policy Framework and the National eCommerce readiness”.

Weaving a Sustainable Trade for Tonga –‘ Lalanga ha Fefakatau‘aki ‘oku Tu‘uloa’ ma‘a Tonga was the theme  of his speech.