Constituency officers introduced to SIG-PRC new partnership program
The Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) has successfully held a two-day informative session with its 50 Constituency Officers to introduce to them the newly established donor partnership program between the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) and the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on Tuesday 25th April and Thursday 27th April 2023.
Known as the Rural Sustainable Development Program (RSDP), it aims to improve the social and economic development and livelihood of citizens in the rural areas of Solomon Islands by strengthening the effective participation of indigenous people and local communities in social and economic initiatives.
PRC provides the funding to the program and MRD is managing and implementing it.
The program is strictly proposal based with MRD coordinating the implementation of this program to ensure that project applications are aligned to the Global Development Initiative of PRC and SIG National Development Strategy (NDS) 2016-2035 National Objectives.
Project proposal submissions are strictly according to the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) application format.
First group of the Constituency Officers attending the Rural Sustainable Development Program (RSDP) informative session at MRD conference room.
The new program intends to focus more on the 75 per cent of Solomon Islands population living in remote rural areas within the 50 constituencies of Solomon Islands but not neglecting the 25 per cent that resides in urban and semi-urban centers.
RSDP thematic areas of priority are Infrastructure and Income Generating Projects. The infrastructure category focuses on providing and upgrading basic social and economic infrastructures in the rural areas, while Income Generating Projects (IGP) focuses on supporting and enabling rural dwellers to earn daily income to improve their livelihood.
MRD is hosting the newly established donor partnership program in coordination with the Embassy of PRC in Honiara.
The Scope of funding will cover development projects focusing on socio-economic infrastructures and income-generating projects in all of the Solomon Islands to achieve integrated sustainable developments.
Invitations to all fifty constituencies to submit project proposals have been issued a week ago and due on the 17 May 2023.
Later in the coming weeks, invitations will be issued to community groupings and entities and others, to submit project applications.
The RSDP was made possible with the huge support of the Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement (DCGA).
Robust monitoring and evaluation will be in place for accountability and transparency purposes during the RSDP implementation stage.
This new donor partnership is a testament to the MOU signed between the Governments of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and Solomon Islands Government in 2019 in terms of PRC support towards rural development.
ENDS//
– MRD Media Release