It’s time for the CNMI to turn to “alternative” industries.
Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos, who joined the organizers of the economic restoration summit yesterday in a media conference, stressed the importance of turning ideas into actions.
“We have been through a series of summits and meetings to discuss how we can improve the economy. We can have meetings everyday to bring in ideas on how we can improve the economy.”
What is needed now, he added, is to “take action to improve the economy.”
This year’s summit will be held at the Saipan World Resort next week.
During the first summit two years ago, government and private sector participants identified agriculture, aquaculture, call/data centers, eco-tourism and education tourism as the islands’ new core industries.
Inos said the disaster in Japan and its expected impact on local tourism, should further goad the CNMI government and the local people to look for alternative industries.
Inos said he is looking forward to next week’s summit and is “inviting everyone to please participate.”
Receiving a funding of $85,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the second summit will discuss the viability of the core industries identified in the 2009 summit.
Commerce Acting Secretary Sixto K. Igisomar said they will discuss how the core industries have been performing since the first summit was held two years ago, and what can be done to make them move forward.
This year’s summit, he added, “will bring together the people who have or want to have a stake in our economy and be at the center of economic development that has occurred since the first summit.”
Igisomar said there are many voices that need to be heard and this summit will help unify the CNMI’s economic goals.
Businessman Jim Arenovski, who leads the participating private sector representatives, said the keynote speaker will be Muliufi Francis “Mufi” Hannemann, the 12th mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Dr. Addison Lee Lawrence, a professor at Texas A&M University will discuss agriculture.
Jack Johnston of Monterey, Mexico will talk about the call center industry.
Linda J. Cox of the University of Hawaii will share her expertise in eco-tourism.
Jack Nickels, who runs travel agencies and works with various tour partners in Asia, Europe and South America, will have a presentation on education tourism.
