Honolulu County CEDS: Islandwide Economic Strategy

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS)

The City and County of Honolulu (Oahu) Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) 2022 was created to guide future economic development that benefits the residents of Hawaii and our island home.

The City and County of Honolulu (Oahu) Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) provides a ʻsail plan’ for economic development, recovery, and long-term resilience for the island of Oahu. The Honolulu CEDS guides federal, state, and county-level funding, policy, and economic development programs for the next five years. The Honolulu CEDS is part of a Hawaiʻi-wide effort with the Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii.

The Oahu Economic Development Board and partners facilitated a multi-stakeholder, community-driven process to develop the Honolulu CEDS. This consultation engaged nearly 1,000 people representing business/private sector institutions, non-profits/community organizations, government agencies (federal, state, city), academia, and philanthropy, and diverse community members from opio (youth) to kupuna (elders) with diverse perspectives across Oahu. The Honolulu CEDS is informed by a review of existing regional plans, literature, frameworks, data-driven analysis, and stakeholder and community priority-setting. 

The result was a strong consensus on an island-wide strategic direction for the Oahu economy and an action plan for the next five years to center a values-driven economic recovery that contributes to long-term environmental and community health. The Implementation and Evaluation Matrix co-developed by stakeholders identifies measures to track progress and guide joint action through 2026.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) approved the Hawaii State 5-year Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) in fall 2023.

 The State and respective Counties’ CEDS area available for viewing at the Hawaii Office of Planning and Sustainable Development (OPSD) website here.

Guiding Values

“We dream of a Hawaii where our economic measurement is not our belongings but how we use and share what we have to inspire belonging and lives well lived. We believe this is about what has always been and must always be our greatest resource other than our island home: you.” - Pono Shim, Oahu Economic Development Board

Ike Hawaii (Hawaiian wisdom and values), specifically ALOHA Spirit Values (Akahai, Lokahi, Oluolu, Haahaa, Ahonui), E Ohana Hou, and Malama, are the foundation for the Oahu CEDS. 

We invite you to read the Aloha Spirit Law (Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes 5-7.5), from Aunty Pilahi Paki’s teachings, and watch this video on E Ohana Hou by Pono Shim, longtime President and CEO of the Oahu Economic Development Board.

Next Steps: Taking Joint Action

The most important part of any plan is implementation. This strategy is intended for use by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, State of Hawaii Office of Planning Sustainable Development, City and County of Honolulu Office of Economic Revitalization, Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii, Oahu Economic Development Board, and diverse Oahu public, private, civil society, and community stakeholders.

It will take everyone to build a future where all can thrive. Each sector, business, organization, school, neighborhood, family, and individual has a significant way to contribute. The Honolulu CEDS identifies a community-driven vision, strategic direction, and action plan whose ultimate success depends on everyone embracing a shared responsibility for a thriving future.

The Oahu Economic Development Board will facilitate an advisory group and ongoing collaborations with partners to advance joint implementation and evaluate progress on this strategy.

Broad stakeholder and community input created the Honolulu CEDS: a plan that belongs to everyone and is for everyone. Building a future where all can thrive depends on everyone embracing shared responsibility and contributing their gifts, their hana. 

That is E Ohana Hou: recovering what it truly means to be ohana again and unleashing grace together in perpetuity.