A two-day review of the first draft regulations for the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) Act 2023 was held last week.
The Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) senior management successfully conducted the review.
The first draft was produced by the Attorney General’s Chamber (AGC) based on the ‘Drafting Instructions’ prepared and submitted by the MRD.
The regulations drafting instructions were developed following extensive consultations the ministry held with integrity institutions, provincial governments, and community stakeholders, which concluded in October 2024.
The regulations, which will be cited as the CDF Regulations 2025 once adopted and gazetted by the Minister of MRD, will further support the Ministry to implement the CDF Act 2023 and strengthen the governance and administration of the CDF programme.
The CDF regulations, including other reforms undertaken by the MRD, are the ongoing mandatory and legislative reforms the ministry is undertaking to improve and strengthen the delivery mechanisms of the Constituency Development (CD) programme and its governance.
Work on reforming the CD programme commenced by MRD in August 2022 with the formulation of the first ever Solomon Islands Constituency Development Policy (SICDP), which was followed by the CDF Act 2023
The CDF Act 2023 was passed by Parliament in December 2023. It came into force on January 5, 2024.
Meanwhile, the two-day session provided an opportunity for the MRD senior management to review and refine the draft, provide feedback, and respond to questions from the AGC. The inputs will be used by the AGC drafters for the second round of drafting.
Permanent Secretary John Misite’e thanked his management team for their invaluable insights and contributions to the draft during the review process.
“This is a crucial process as it gives the ministry and the AGC a space for exchange of drafts and further instructions until we are satisfied that the draft legislation reflects the policy in a legally implementable form.
“Our team is committed to complete this task and will have the final draft in place before the end of this second quarter.”
PS Misite’e also acknowledged the AGC for its support toward this legislative procedure, which will slowly but surely lead to greater transparency and accountability in the administration of CDF, ensuring better outcomes are achieved for community development in Solomon Islands.
PS Misite’e also expressed his appreciation to the GNUT government for its ongoing commitment to the CDF programme and support for this legislative reform to improve and strengthen the delivery of services to rural communities across the country.
The Constituency Development Programme (CDP) is a national programme of the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) administered by the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD).
It is implemented by the 50 constituencies in the country to improve the socio-economic livelihoods of Solomon Islanders.
– MRD
