Main Menu

Financing local development remain challenging

THE Prime Minister Hon Manasseh Sogavare has agreed that the issues surrounding financing for local development are contentious and need serious attention.

He made the bold statement yesterday in his opening remarks of the National Peace Dialogue at the Heritage Park Hotel.

The National Peace Dialogue is a two-day dialogue that commenced yesterday and will conclude today.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am informed that one of the issues for discussion during this National Dialogue is financing for local development.

“Let me say that issues surrounding financing for local development are contentious and need serious attention.

“It is true that rural development is lacking or slow; and this might be caused by the lack of sufficient mechanism or capacity or that the Provincial Government System is not working for us,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister then added that it seems the Government is still searching for proper mechanisms to ensure rural development is realized in its full context.

“We may need therefore to ‘re-think’ the Rural Constituency Development Fund or the Provincial Government System so that real development takes place in the rural areas.

“Solomon Islands is a natural resource rich-country.

“However, after 39 years natural resource management is still a challenge.

“Among the many factors responsible for such a standoff one factor may be the lack of substantial involvement of resources owners in resource extraction industry,” Prime Minister Hon Manasseh Sogavare added

The Prime Minister then told participants of the National Peace Dialogue yesterday that the country must collaboratively find ways to ensure resources owners are substantially involve in the extraction of their resources.

Resources owners, he strongly added, must not be by-standers but they must be active participants.