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News & Events
Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce

Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce

Serving the Pohnpei Business Community

We are the collective voice of the Pohnpei business community advocating and supporting the interests of the private sector through inclusive participation and dialogue toward creation of friendly investment environment public policies as basis for a sustainable One Nation, One Economy National Goal for FSM.
Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce

Welcome Message From The President

Leon Senda, President and Chairman of the Board

Kaselehlie and Welcome to the Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce Official Website.  We are very excited to have accomplished initial creation of this website dedicated to fostering growth of Pohnpei Businesses through all industrial segments.  This is all inclusive site to feature, promote and provide information to all businesses in Pohnpei, as a chamber member, and to enable all interested individuals, corporations, entities access general information about Pohnpei, its government and people. This website will also serve as the main domain to disseminate and sensitize any of all government repalted issues which affects directly or indirectly all businesses or the private sector.  We hope this platform will provide you information of interest, investment opportunities in Pohnpei and the region, and encourage you to become a member of the Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce as we strive to continue building favorable business climate for the people of Pohnpei aimed to achieve a sound sustainable economy. Please feel free to visit our website at pohnpeichamber.com or pohnpeichamber.fm and let us know if you have any suggestions to better this website or include other relevant publications.  We endeavor to expand our website coverage in the future to include other relevant topics.  Thank you for visiting this site and we hope you enjoyed.

Kalahngan, Thank you & Kaselehlie!.

Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce

Review of Corporate Legal Framework

( Articles and Bylaws )

Since its establishment in 1980, the Chamber for the first time received grant subsidy from FSM National Government in FY 2015 to support private sector development through the National and State Chambers of Commerce. This seed funding makes it possible for our Chamber to be able to establish an office which is located at Micronesian Seminar Building under a sub-lease agreement with Care Micronesia Foundation.
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Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce

Our Goals And Objectives

The Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce is organized to achieve the following objectives:

Member Services: The Chamber members will be accessible to networking and promotional opportunities, business training programs, services and special events, all of which are designed to help their business succeed.

Economic Development: The Chamber will be featured in our economic development activities as an active partner in business attraction, business retention and expansion, infrastructure and transportation, redevelopment, workforce development, and recruitment and retention of talent. It is our profound believe that achievement of a standard quality of life is essential to creating a sustainable economy.

Public Policy: The Chamber will be the voice of business and the guardians of the business climate. We will advocate on issues that affect the business environment and work to ensure that Pohnpei remains a peaceful and friendly place in which to live, learn, play and do business.

Community Vision: The Chamber will take a lead in shaping a powerful community vision - stimulating dialogue, building a balanced community with an equal emphasis on quality of life and quality of business.

Office Location And Address

Leon Senda, President and Chairman of the Board

Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce is located in the Micronesian Seminar Building on the premises of Catholic Mission in Kolonia Town under a sub-lease agreement with Care Micronesia.


Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce

Looking Ahead In 2018

Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce Looks Toward

FSM National Government provided grant subsidy in the amount of $50,000 to support programs and projects that PCC will undertake in Fiscal Year 2018. Project Control Document (PCD) for the use of this fund is being finalized for review and approval of the FSM Secretary of Resources and Development, the sub-allottee of this fund on behalf of the President of FSM.

Expenditure of FYI funds will be made in accordance with the Work Plan and Budget as attached to the 2018 PCD and will be reflected in the Fiscal Year 2018 Report and the Annual Report 2018 that will follow.

Successful achievement of PCC capacity building and organizational strengthening. This include public awareness of role of PCC membership and expanding membership base by recruitment of new members

Revision of membership fee by establishing categories of businesses, fees, and Voting rights for the categories.

Creating Members' Benefits as a way to attract membership.
 


Pohnpei Chamber Of Commerce Overview

History: The Ponape State Chamber of Commerce now referred to as Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce was chartered in May 1980, by the first President of FSM, the late HE Tosiwo Nakayama based on the Petition for Charter of Incorporation and Bylaws presented.

It was set up primarily as an advocacy organization for the private sector which include sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, cooperatives, and other not for profit organizations (NGOs and civil society) interested in becoming associate members.

Membership is on a voluntary basis and membership fees are the main source of revenue to support the Chamber's activities. Due to continued financial constraints, the Chamber has not been in position to provide the services that members expect to receive.

Revenues have gone up and down with uncertainty of membership renewal. Having been in continued financial uncertainty, the Chamber has only been able to deal with the challenges it faces with the sacrifice and commitment of a few who believe in the purpose for which the Chamber was created.

Nevertheless, the Board will continue to seek assistance where it can get assistance to help the Chamber move forward toward achieving its goals and objectives.

Governance / The Charter

The Charter provides the legal basis for the Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce to operate. It was issued by Late FSM President Tosiwo Nakayama in 1980. PCC's Articles of Incorporation. Bylaws and Charter are on file at its Office. See Appendix ____________ copy of charter.

PCC was established as an advocacy organization with voluntary membership. Member in good standing is required to pay annual membership fee of $25.00. There is a proposed revision to the membership fee.

PCC is the umbrella organization for the business community of Pohnpei. It is seeking State Government's official endorsement and recognition as the premier business organization representing all businesses doing business in Pohnpei. With Government's endorsement, PCC will be able to access assistance from external sources.

Membership is on voluntary basis. It is open to individuals, partnerships, corporate entities, cooperatives and other organizations interested in being member of PCC. Interested individuals and business organizations wishing to become member may apply for membership. Application for membership is available at the Chamber's office. When PCC website will be launched, membership application will be available on line. There will be host of online benefits from our website.

 
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President's Report

Over its thirty-seven years of existence since 1980, Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce depended mainly on its membership fees as the primary source of funding to support its advocacy activities for the business community. Although the Chamber has been continually requesting Pohnpei State Government for funding assistance, nothing no funding has ever been provided. Sustainability of the Chamber, therefore, will continue to depend largely on membership commitment with payment of annual membership fee. Active membership remains low due to limited resources to provide the benefits that will attract businesses to become members.

The interdependence of the public and private sectors calls for the Leaders of FSM to rethink and set new direction for Government support to the private sector to perform its role as the engine of economic development and growth.

While Governments in FSM recognize the importance of the business community in terms of job creation and revenue generation, economic policies that have been established sent mixed signals to the private sector. Much needs to be done to support the private sector and we respectfully request inclusive participation of all sectors in the development of policies to ensure that all stakeholders have a stake in all development activities.

We have the FSM Strategic Development Plan for a period of twenty years (200-2023) which will end with the Compact termination. A Private Sector Development Program was established in 2002 to support the SDP in specific areas including the establishment of Small Business Development Centers to provide training and counseling services to local people in support of the priority sectors of economic development in agriculture, fisheries and tourism. To date, SBDCs have not served the purposes for which they are set up to perform as outlined in the 2002 PSDP. Pohnpei SBDC operated for several years and was shut down for lack of support from the State Government, leaving many people who need SBDC assistance nowhere to go. So, the private sector continues to see a lack of government commitment to support and nurture the interdependence that exists between the public and private sectors for mutual benefit.

FSM now has a Trade Policy in place but there is lack of support in the public sector to implement the policy which is intended to develop private sector-led export activities. There are sectoral development policies already established. It is important that established policies go beyond just dealing with various levels of government but channel investment funds into private sector. We need more meaningful interaction with the public sector.

We look to our Government Leaders to take bold actions in providing favorable investment climate for investors, both foreign and domestic, to be able to have the confidence in the protection of their investments.

Providing conducive investment climate to support economic development requires lot more than just written policies. Basic economic infrastructure to support private sector-led economic development require adequate transport terminals, let alone the means of transport available and the impact of bilateral agreements especially with air service, primary and secondary road systems to meet road construction standards, availability of reliable power, water, and communication, and support systems to ensure continuity of service delivery.

However, the private sector is beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I wish to acknowledge and express again our sincere appreciation on behalf of Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce to the FSM Government for its continued support to each of the State Chambers of Commerce.

Having recognized the vital role that the private sector plays in the national economic development plan, FSM decided to provide funding assistance to State chambers of commerce beyond what it already started with the FSM Association of Chambers of Commerce, the FSM national private sector umbrella organization for the State chambers.

The Congressional appropriation which was signed into law in 2015 as Public Law 18-89 provided each State chamber of commerce $50,000 and designated the State Governors as allottees. The handling of the funds in Pohnpei State was slower than expected due to change of State Leadership. Allocation of funds to Pohnpei Chamber was seriously delayed as was in other States which prompted Congress to extend the lapse date to September 30, 2017 and change allottee from Governor to President under Public Law 18-102.

The changes of allottees contributed delays in our general plans to utilize the funds as prescribed in our submission of our Project Control Document (PCD) and impacted implementation of our work plan. However, around mid-calendar year 2016, the allottee situation finally resolved and funding finally became available for drawdown under Secretary of Resources and Development as sub-allottee of said fund.

Towards the end of 2016, we finally acquired an office space and hired an Executive Director who manages the office and its daily operations. We are currently working to stage a Public-Private Dialogue with our partners at the State level in anticipation that the result of this dialogue will pave way to our next effort to create and document a five-year Strategic Action Plan. This plan should and must be implementable and achievable in immediate practice while considering key developmental features of both the National and State Strategic Development Plans to meet expected sustainable goals as envisioned.

Finally, website development for Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce is currently in the works as well as compilation of an inclusive business directory to name a few works in progress items we have undertaken because of the funding from FSM Government.

In my personal observation, the work flow for the State Chamber of Commerce in providing instant vital economic assistances to its State counterparts which will impact the Nation will be much more productive and expeditious if it the Chambers become the allottee of the funds provided by the National Government. After all such funds will be subject to public audit by National Public Auditor.

In conclusion, I wish to sincerely express my personal gratitude for the continued support of the FSM Government and I look forward to continuing engagements and execute work plans with tangible economic results both at the State and National level.

Kalahngan and kaselehlie,

Leon Senda
 


 

How You Can Help

Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce serves as a collective voice of the private sector. As a business owner, you need to become a member of Pohnpei Chamber of Commerce so that you can join others in making your voices collectively heard.

Become a Member

To become a member, one will fill out a membership application and submit it to the Board for consideration and approval. Membership application form is available at the PCC Office.

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