Honiara : 24 May 2017.
Letter to the Editors, Island Sun and Solomon Star Newspapers.
Speaking during the launching of CBSI’s 2016-2017 report, the Prime Minister, the Hon Manasseh Sogavare, said the existing challenge is how to utilise the resources and also how to assist people in the rural areas to fully participate in economic activities.
The PM said successive governments had established policies that were relevant to encourage people to participate but there are missing links that are blockages to the ambitions, including he clarified, land disputes, lack of proper infrastructure and also lack of commitment to facilitate and implement development programmes in the rural areas.
Prime Minister Sogavare stressed that there are a lot of unaddressed issues that needs to be addressed in shaping proper intervention to encourage rural participation in economic development and this requires collective efforts and partnership between the government, donor partners and also civil society groups.
The PM also commented, “If the government is unable to help the 80 percent of people in the rural areas, then donor partners should step in and assist us in some ways.”
Forest resources, the mainstay of the country’s revenues in the past are certainly in decline, economic zones are still to be created, mining seems to generate landowner disputes and cocoa and vegetable production to generate income is still in its infancy. The production of virgin coconut oil has potential to aid the economy but more investment and markets appears to be needed to see further development.
Perhaps the Office of the Prime Minister might set out how development partners and investors might best aid the country’s rural development needs with thoughts, plans and ideas, that I could help promote via my website.
