Representing 11 countries from across the Asia-Pacific region, 20 officials from government agencies and policymakers dealing with innovation policies and productivity attended the APO Workshop on Policies Impacting National Productivity Growth in APO Member Countries, 16–18 November in Nadi, Fiji. The workshop aimed at reviewing the policies of participating member countries and sharing good practices through country papers and success stories. It also attempted to identify trends in and new ideas on innovation policies to ensure that they contribute to improved productivity and function as long-term levers for national economic growth and competitiveness.

After country paper presentations by each participating member, APO experts shared case studies from their countries and described the success frameworks adopted by their organizations. The workshop experts were from Queensland University of Technology in Australia, the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Japan, and Global Business Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy and Innovation in the Republic of Korea.

During the workshop, the participants also visited the Ministry of Employment, Productivity & Industrial Relations, Nadi Office, and Fiji National University Nadi Campus. The visits were part of the workshop curriculum of experiential learning and knowledge exchanges between the host country and participating APO member economies.

The deliberations during the three-day workshop will be used to develop a framework for the analysis of innovation policies so that they can be effectively monitored and foster productivity growth in the APO membership. Suggestions from the workshop will also be aggregated to create a recommendations document on what member countries should do to promote continuous innovation for higher productivity and competitiveness.