THE Western Province has been disqualified from the Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF) programme after failing to meet the minimum financial assessment conditions for the 2022/2023 fiscal year.
This was confirmed by Western Province Provincial Secretary (PS) Patrick Toiraena in an interview with the Solomon Star.
Mr Toiraena said the financial statements assessed pertain to the 2022/2023 financial year which commenced in April 2022 and concluded in March 2023.
This timeline applies to all provincial governments.
Mr Toiraena said the current Western Provincial Government (WPG) led by Premier Billy Veo took office in January 2023 just months before the end of the financial year.
‘’As a result, the Financial Statements (FSs) under review were prepared by the previous government.
‘’Notably, past administrations did not address the FSs related to the Western Provincial Investment Corporation (WPIC) as it is considered a separate political entity and does not fall under WPG’s administrative control,’’ he said.
“While the WPG administration can advise on financial submissions, it lacks the authority to enforce compliance on WPIC.
“Upon taking office in January 2023, Premier Veo directed the compilation and submission of all outstanding WPIC financial statements from 2019/2020 to 2023/2024 to the Office of the Auditor General (OAG).
‘’This marked the first instance in which WPG actively responded to PCDF assessment requirements by submitting FSs,’’ he added.
PS Toiraena added that the province’s disqualification from the PCDF programme also stemmed from the introduction of a new requirement in 2023, which mandated the consolidation of WPIC and WPG accounts.
‘’Western Province was previously disqualified in the 2021/2022 assessment due to non-consolidation and the same issue resulted in disqualification for the recent 2022/2023 assessment.
‘’Despite this setback, WPG has now submitted all WPIC FSs up to the 2023/2024 fiscal year,’’ he explained.
Mr Toiraena said the WPG administration remains committed to addressing financial compliance issues and working towards meeting PCDF assessment requirements in the future.
By ULUTAH GINA
Solomon Star, Gizo
