Monday, September 7th, 2015
Don’t shake hands with the Devil
LOCAL CONSULTANT John Safanamae has warned the government to be careful with investors it wishes to engage for any development in the country. Speaking with the paper last week, Safanamae cautioned the government to carry out a good background research on investors who have shown their interest in the country. Safanamae said recent media reports about Skyline Investment Group’s unpaid bills and claims its director was a scammer does not reflect of a government that boasts to bring positive change and development for the country. “Don’t shake hands with theRead More
Govt to push for more sustainable development
SOLOMON ISLANDS will pursue the global sustainable development goals (SDG) through its government ministries’ policies. At the national level, the SDG’s link to the National Development of Solomon Islands is the National Development Strategy (NDS). And the Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP) is where the Ministry of Development Planning & Aid Coordination (MDPAC) has the mandate and responsibility to oversee with all SIG line ministries. PS of the MDPAC, Shadrack Fanega discloses that the DCC Government has requested the NDS to be reviewed, revised and extended into a 20–year period.Read More
Icon Hall of Fame Award 2015
David Auna and Fay Indu: First recipient of Icon Hall of Fame 2015. The organizer of Solo Icon competition has taken the programme to the next grandeur by introducing the Icon Hall of Fame Award (IHFA). The IHFA is purposely designed to recognise Icon winners who have gone through the competition and are still actively shaping the lives of youths and the communities through the art of music as active role models. The first two recipients of the award are Fay Indu 2007 Icon and David Auna 2008 Icon. TheRead More
Beginning another academic journey

GRADUATING WITH a Postgraduate Diploma in Land Management begins another journey for Leonard Rotu. Rotu (pictured right) was among 980 students from 23 nationalities, who graduated from The University of the South Pacific (USP) at the Vodafone Arena in Suva, on Friday. Rotu wants to return to Solomon Islands and serve his country after he completes his Masters in Land Management. He said that as a regional institution, USP is very good in showcasing the diverse cultures that the Pacific is known for. “It is amazing to meet and seeRead More
Solomon Islands prepares for the MDG
A HALF-day awareness workshop on the Post 2015 Development Agenda was held at the Mendana Hotel on Friday. The workshop, which gathered participants from various lines of Government Ministries, based discussions on how Solomon Islands will address the 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will replace the eight existing Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In his opening remarks, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Development Planning and Aid Coordination, Mr Shadrack Fanega said Solomon Islands, being a member of the United Nations, has participated in a number of leading IntergovernmentalRead More
IPAM to introduce formal training for senior government officials

The Institution of Public Administration Management (IPAM) is planning to provide formal education for senior Government officials. Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Public Service, Mr Nego Sisiolo made the announcement during the closing of the Public Policy training last week. He said the education scheme will be announced after negotiations between IPAM and Institution, who will deliver the training programme, are sealed. Mr Sisiolo said currently IPAM is having dialogues with Pacific Islands Centre of Public Administration for the training scheme. “We will meet with Dr Desmond Amosa about thisRead More
Forum may sue over PMO’s ‘ignorance’
PRIME MINISTER’S failure to respond within the seven-day timeframe has prompted the Peoples’ Forum to consider seeking legal recourse through court proceedings or other civil actions deemed appropriate. This is according to the Peoples’ Forum Resolutions that was given to the Prime Minister’s Office on 17 August 2015. The Forum Solomon Islands International’s (FSII’s) Peoples’ Forum Resolutions have yet to receive notification from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on a confirmed date and time to meet with the Prime Minister. The Peoples’ Forum Resolution was made in pursuant to sectionRead More
Arnavon Community Marine Conservation Area 20 years on
The Arnavon Community Marine Conservation Area (ACMCA) was the first Marine Protected Area (MPA) to be officially established in Solomon Islands. It is now 20 years since it was officially opened in August 1995. ACMCA is a partnership effort between the Kia, Wagina and Katupika communities, Isabel and Choiseul Provincial Governments, Solomon Islands Ministries of Environment (MECDM) and Fisheries (MFMR) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). ACMCA is currently mandated under the Resource Management Ordinance of Isabel Province pending consultations and submission to the Protected Area Advisory Committee for deliberations andRead More
HFA high school soccer league starts today

THE 2015 Honiara Football Association (HFA) high school soccer championship will kick off today following a uniform parade at Lawson Tama yesterday. Speaking during the occasion marking the parade, the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) Chief Executive Officer Neil Poloso praised the current HFA executives for having the vision to integrate football with schools and redeveloping the football standard in Solomon Islands. ìFootball itself is like a school of its own. Players can learn important virtues from this sports too. Respect, Unity and solidarity are part of playing football. ìRespectRead More
Raising awareness of fish spawning in Western Province

The local Gizo office of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), supported by WWF-US, has recently been running awareness workshops to local communities around Gizo and surrounding islands. The focus of these workshops has been on Fish Spawning Aggregations (FSAs). FSAs are a grouping of single species of fish that have gathered together in greater numbers than usual in one place at a particular time with the specific purpose of reproducing. WWF identified the conservation of FSAs as a priority in fisheries management, as these sites are vulnerable to overfishingRead More