THE Minister for Finance and Treasury, Hon. Harry Kuma, has updated Parliament and the country about donor-funded development projects.
This update was part of his motion responding to the Speech from the Throne last week.
There are six major donor-funded development projects which the government, through the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, negotiated and approved in 2023-2024. Drawdowns for these projects will commence this year.
These projects are:
- Integrated Solid Waste Management Project funded by Asian Development Bank (USD19.3 million)
- Community Access & Urban Services Enhancement Project II (CAUSE II) funded by World Bank (USD37 million)
- Renewable Energy Project under the Asian Development Bank and Saudi Fund for Development program (SBD32 million)
- AIM-Nutrition Project under the International Food and Agriculture Development funded by Korea Government (USD9.2 million)
- Tina River Hydropower Project additional funding gap (USD75.5 million)
- Solomon Islands Government (SIG) support for Telecommunication Towers Company (STC)
In detail, the Integrated Solid Waste Management Project will help the Greater Honiara Area (GHA), the Solomon Islands’ main urban centre, to become more liveable, environmentally sustainable, and climate and disaster resilient.
The Community Access & Urban Services Enhancement Project II (CAUSE II) will focus on economic growth, climate resilience, planned improvements to transport networks, and enhancing prospects for sustainable urban management and service delivery.
The Renewable Energy Project under the Asian Development Bank and Saudi Fund for Development program will finance the construction of (i) a 1 Megawatt grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Honiara and (ii) a 1.5 Megawatt grid-connected hybrid solar PV power plant and 1 Megawatt battery storage system in Malaita Province.
The AIM-Nutrition Project under the International Food and Agriculture Development aims to improve nutrition and food security and to reduce poverty in rural areas, building on indigenous peoples’ traditional farming systems.
The Tina River Hydropower Project is awaiting coordinated bilateral and multilateral negotiations to secure additional funds to complete the project, which has a funding gap of USD75.5 million.
The SIG support for Telecommunication Towers Company (STC) is being implemented smoothly. The project is being implemented in three phases to construct mobile towers over a 3-year period:
- Phase 1: Covers the construction of mobile towers in Guadalcanal, Central, and Isabel Provinces
- Phase 2: Covers Western Province and Choiseul Province
- Phase 3: Covers Malaita, Makira, Ulawa, Temotu, and Renbel Provinces
Hon. Harry Kuma added that to date, 28 towers are already live, 27 are pending activation, and 51 towers are currently under construction at various stages.
