The 1st Australia Solomon Islands Business Forum

The 1st Australia Solomon Islands Business Forum

The 1st Australia Solomon Islands Business Forum will be held in Brisbane on Friday 10 July 2009.

The Forum is being arranged by the Australia Pacific Islands Business Council. The Council is a non-profit association of Australian businesses with interests, usually through investment or trading, in the Pacific islands markets other than Papua New Guinea and Fiji for which there are separate bilateral business councils.

The Australia Pacific Islands Business Council has inaugurated the Australia Solomon Islands Business Forum, following the visit by Australia Pacific Islands Business Council representatives to Honiara in February, with the aim of supporting the growth of business in the Solomon Islands by increasing the existing business linkages between Australia and Solomon Islands.

“Australia and Solomon Islands have a long history of trade and investment together, but over the last few years the relationship has perhaps not been as strong as it was previously”, said Frank Yourn, the Executive Director of the Council.

“We believe business has an important role to play in the development of the Solomon Islands economy, and we are keen to find ways to support sustainable economic growth through creating opportunities for Australian and Solomon Islands business to work together”, Mr Yourn said.

The Forum will be a whole day program with presentations on the economic and business climate in Solomon Islands with expert speakers from government and private business.

It is the experience of the Council that participants place a very high value on the business opportunities which flow from the networking opportunities which are available at Forums such as this, as well as from the information provided by speakers.

The Forum follows the luncheon arranged by the Council in June 2008 which was attended by Prime Minister Sikua, and has been expanded into the successful one day format used for other Business Forums arranged by the Council.

The Council’s plan is that if the Australian Solomon Islands Business Forum is successful it would be held annually.

The Council appreciates the support for the Forum given by the Solomon Islands Government, Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Business Council of Solomon Islands.

The Forum is open to anyone who wishes to attend and who registers in advance in accordance with the registration procedure.

More information about the Forum, including program and registration information, can be downloaded from the Councils website, www.apibc.org.au, or by contacting the Executive Director of the Council, Frank Yourn, by telephone on +61 7 3348 5142 or by e-mail at yourn@apibc.org.au.

ENDS

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