A.D.B STANDS READY TO ASSIST WITH D.C.C’s POLICY PRIORITIES

Prime Minister Sogavare briefs the ADB delegation about his government’s policy intentions. Photo credit: OPMC.

Prime Minister Sogavare briefs the ADB delegation about his government’s policy intentions. Photo credit: OPMC.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) stands ready to provide assistance for some of the policy priorities of the Democratic Coalition for Change Government.

An ADB delegation met with Prime Minister Sogavare to find out how ADB can assist his government with its development priority areas.

ADB is assisting Solomon Islands in the areas of infrastructure development, private sector development and government service delivery and public financial management.

The ADB infrastructure development support covers roads, shipping, the Undersea Cable Project and 4th USP Campus Project. It is
allocating US$40 million for these areas this year.

Furthermore, ADB is looking for an opportunity to further support government service delivery and financial management this year.

In turn, Prime Minister Sogavare outlined his Government’s Policy intentions which he said boils down to the reasons why the country collapsed in the year 2000.

Mr Sogavare explains, the country adopted a highly centralised development policy at independence resulting in the mass migration of people from the provinces to Honiara in search of economic opportunities.

He adds his government is determined to address this situation by taking economic development right down to the provinces, but the fulfilment of this policy intention requires the freeing up of land and the establishment of infrastructure.

He said in this regard, land reform will be aggressively pursued and much money has to be injected into infrastructure development.

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