Kiribati

Kiribati is a nation of 33 islands spread across 2,900 kilometres of the Pacific Ocean and is a lower middle-income country with a GDP of 196 million USD in 2018. Kiribati has an agricultural sector that accounts for 23% of GDP and includes fisheries and agricultural products such as copra, breadfruit, and fish. The people of Kiribati are highly dependent on marine resources, as soil and land area on the nations coral atolls are not conducive to intensive, large-scale agriculture. Kiribati has the most productive exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Western Central Pacific, which supports two fleets of local fishers—inshore, small-scale fishers and offshore tuna vessels—as well as foreign ships permitted to fish offshore for tuna through government fishing licenses. As monitoring the nation’s fisheries must occur over the countries EEZ of 3.55 million km2, international collaboration, such as the recent partnership with the World Bank to enhance monitoring and enforcement of offshore fisheries can aid Kiribati in sustainably developing its unique fisheries sector. Kiribati also has an industrial sector that contributes 7% to the countries GDP. Kiribati’s industrial sector includes industries such as construction as well as a small manufacturing industry based around copra and food processing.

Kiribati’s largest segment of the economy is the service sector, which is responsible for generating 70% of the countries GDP. Kiribati’s service sector mainly falls under government services; however, tourism is another major driver of growth in Kiribati’s service sector, with 7,100 visitor arrivals to the remote Pacific island nation in 2018. The Government of Kiribati understands the importance of developing the tourism industry sustainably, so a new tourism-related act was recently passed in 2018 that aims to ensure the industries long-term growth. Furthermore, the Government of Kiribati would like to open the tourism industry to the private sector, as tourism is currently largely driven by the public sector. Accordingly, those wishing to assist Kiribati in sustainably developing its tourism industry will find numerous opportunities as the nation seeks to expand the industry with additional input from the private sector.

Kiribati also has a small but growing startup community with the Pacific Trade Invest programme available to aid local startups in their growth as well as proposed government supports. Despite the lack of supportive tools available to local startups, Kiribati has some ventures already engaged in the sustainable use of coastal and marine resources, such as the farming of giant clams for the international aquarium trade. As well, there is a great need for collaboration related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, as rising sea levels are causing widespread flooding and groundwater contamination across Kiribati. These issues are partially being addressed through the construction of new water treatment and clean energy systems on Kiribati’s most populated island, South Tarawa, in partnership with the World Bank.