BUILDING NETWORKS and attracting new investors to Solomon Islands are priorities for three senior businesswomen who yesterday left for the Australia-Solomon Islands Business Forum in Brisbane.

For Lilly Lomulo the business forum is an opportunity to network and share her knowledge with potential investors.

“Solomon Islands is a great country and we have the potential to become one of the best in the region, if we have the will to make it so,” Lilly said.

Lilly is a board member of the Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the human resources manager at the Solomon Islands Tobacco Company Limited, SITCO. For Lilly, being a senior executive woman is challenging but equally a rewarding experience.

“Gaining support from your male colleagues is important. I have a great network of support from men in my family and at my work,” Lilly said.

Regina Pokana, Sustainability Manager at GPPOL, believes that self-belief and learning are keys to success in business.

“Every individual has the potential to do their job well. I’m privileged to be a part of a great team that prioritises building the skills and capacity of local staff,” Regina said.

Also attending the forum is Lyn Fa’arodo, the Head of Retail Banking at ANZ.

“This is my first time to attend the Australia – Solomon Islands Business Forum. I see the opportunity to learn from other women that have walked the path,” Lyn said.

“It is also the opportune time to network and share my knowledge of my country.

“Solomon Islands is a country with vast resources and opportunities for potential investors to venture in. I believe Solomon Islands is one of the upcoming in the region, therefore the future of this country depends entirely on Solomon Islanders to make it happen.”

The Australian High Commission is proud to support the three senior business executives to attend the annual Business Forum as a part of its commitment to improving women’s leadership in business.

“I know that women in Solomon Islands are already making their mark in the private sector and making substantial contributions to the economy and their communities,” High Commissioner Andrew Byrne said.

“I am pleased that we could support three impressive women to attend the forum and hope to see many more businesswomen in positions of leadership in years to come.”

–Australia High Commission

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WORKING WITH rural subsistence farmers in Malaita and Western Province on simple ways to improve their farming has been a highlight of Wendy Xiao’s time in Solomon Islands.

The Australian New Colombo Plan Scholar is completing a sustainable farming internship at Kastom Garden Association working with training officers to improve farming techniques across the country.

“We are currently working on a programme called ‘Demonstration Garden Training’ which has seen us travel to remote villages in the Western and Malaita provinces to conduct trainings on farming techniques with local farmers,” said Wendy.

“It is a wonderful opportunity to be working with local farmers in the rural areas, teaching them about seed saving, pesticide production, compost making and other simple ways to improve farming.”

A Bachelor of Science student from the University of Sydney, Wendy recently completed four months study on tropical agriculture at the Solomon Islands National University.

“It was a pleasure learning alongside local students at SINU, and I am inspired by their hopes, aspirations and passion for agriculture,” said Wendy.

“I have enjoyed my time at SINU, studying various aspects of tropical agriculture and learning about the challenges faced by subsistence farmers in a developing country. In Australia, we have large scale farming for domestic and international markets, while most farmers here engage in subsistence farming.”

Wendy’s study and volunteering is possible under the New Colombo Plan, an Australian Government initiative in which exceptional undergraduates are supported to deepen their relationships and understanding in the Indo-Pacific region.

“New Colombo Plan scholarships are highly prestigious, with only 100 awarded in 2016. Wendy is the first New Colombo Plan scholar to come to Solomon Islands and I congratulate her on her successes at SINU and with Kastom Gaden Association,” Australian High Commissioner Andrew Byrne said.

“I would recommend studying and volunteering in Solomon Islands to all Australian students who want to get a better understanding of one of our nearest neighbours and help improve the livelihoods of its people,” said Wendy.

This year, Solomon Islands will host a further 78 short-term New Colombo Plan students from four Australian Universities; James Cook University, Bond University, Australian Catholic University and the University of Sydney.

These students will undertake projects in a range of sectors including education, sport, health, agriculture and environmental sustainability.

—-Australia High Commission

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 POB HAS now brought banking to the community, neighborhood and homes of each person in the Solomon Islands. People who are POB customers in or outside of Honiara can now access their bank through POB’s iZi Cash outlets. POB is proud to announce the launch of Five (5) POB iZi Cash Outlets within and outside of Honiara on Tuesday, 20 July, 2016. POB has changed traditional banking through its Online Banking Application and now its iZi Cash Outlets. POB is expanding Nationwide with their iZi Cash Outlets, enabling all our people to have access to financial services.

POB iZi Cash Outlets will provide the following services to customers:

1. Accept Deposits
2. Accept Withdrawals
3. Collect Potential Account Opening Forms.
4. Collect Potential Loan Application Forms.
5. Collect Collateral/ Pledge Documents.
6. Function as both Customer/ iZi Cash Representatives.

Pioneer iZi Cash Customer at iTech, Dr Lazarus Tavichikai expressed his gratitude and thanks to POB for making the services available to all its customers. Now he does not need to walk or drive all the way to the bank to make a deposit from his Private Practice, he can just walk across the road.POB launched iZi Cash outlets at iTech (Point Cruz), Didao Service Station (Kukum), Nautilus Arts & Crafts Store (NPF Plaza), SA Holdings and Road Haus Canteen, Tamboko providing a new feel to banking.

iTech, CEO, Mr Lakmal Hewagama expressed that they were honored to partner with POB in Empowering the Nation through this service and welcome any POB customer who wishes to do their banking through their iZi Cash outlet. “Our friendly staff will be on hand to assist you,” he added.

POB iZi Cash outlet at Didao Service station also shared similar sentiments. General Manager, Mr Toata Molea expressed that “ POB has come with a fresh look and feel to banking. I am proud to partner with the local Bank POB in making a visible impact to the community and to empower the nation. I would like to recommend to my colleagues to get on board and participate in this service. I welcome those in and around my neighbourhood or business community to do their deposits, withdrawals at the the iZi Cash Outlet here at Didao. All that is required from you is your account number and name to validate the transaction.”

Owners of POB iZi Cash outlet – SA Holdings Ltd. said, “we understand the time and energy it takes to get into town to do banking, and are proud to partner with POB to bring this service to the communities in and around our shop. We are happy to assist customers with their needs.”

Manageress of Nautilus Arts and Crafts and 2016 Business Woman of the Year Awardee, Ms Naomi Tozaka, said, “I made a conscious decision to partner with POB when I saw the invitation to participate to Empower the Nation. I am honoured to assist my fellow Solomon Islanders through the iZi Cash Outlet at my shop. I thank POB who is also empowering my business to become a strong influence in my community.”

POB iZi Cash Outlets also accepts Bill Pay payments from Customers who are registered onto POB Online Banking. Here, customers use their Bill Pay function to pay for goods and services rendered by these iZi Cash Outlets or any other POB Merchant shop displaying a POB BPay sign. Upon using this service, both the customer and the Merchant benefit from direct crediting of the transaction for the goods and an automated receipt to the customer.

POB “IZI Cash” outlets will be further complemented by the most innovative banking service ever to be in operation in the history of Solomon Islands. This new service will be launched in August, 2016 and is called the “POB PURSE”. Those who are above eighteen years old and own a mobile phone (on any mobile network) can self-register to use this account,” said Mr Kutila Pinto, POB Executive Director.

As soon as a person establishes a POB Purse account they may do deposits and withdrawals at any iZi Cash Outlets near them. POB Purse customers do not necessarily need to come into the bank to open the account. The service is designed to be simple and user friendly with state of the art security features. This means, the mobile phone number is the account number of the person who uses it, making life easier for the user who will only need to remember their phone number as their account number.

“At POB we endeavor to make banking affordable and accessible to all levels of the society and easy to use whilst ensuring a sustainable banking platform that will stand the test of time. We welcome everyone to bank with the Bank that has changed the banking landscape of Solomon Islands. Our vision is to “Be the leading Financial Institution of Solomon Islands by enabling Financial Inclusion and commitment to Micro, Small and SME sector”, said Mr Suresh Amerasekera, POB Chief Executive Officer.

POB is excited to provide all these new banking services to the Solomon Islands in just two (2) years of operation in the country. With the introduction of POB Online Banking, POB iZi Cash Outlets and POB Purse, this will bridge the geographical gaps in the banking and finance sector especially for the provincial rural centers that were in existence for a long period of time. POB’s sole vision is to Empower Solomon Islands to grow organically, increase employment opportunities and to support the creation of a strong economy in the Pacific to be reckoned with.

POB PRESS

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ELEVEN PACIFIC Island countries are in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, for a five-day training on new meteorology tools for seasonal forecasting.

The training is for Pacific Met officers led by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Climate Centre (APCC) in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

The Met computer-based tool is in high demand across the Pacific.

It gives options for climate model readings and links users to the global network.

According to the SPREP Facebook, this is a new Seasonal Climate Prediction System which gives option of combining climate models from 10 different global meteorology centres to develop a prediction system over any three month period,

Among the trainees are 14 women from six Pacific countries, and SPREP highlights this as encouraging.

In the Solomon Islands the Met Service has three female staffs in climate services and meteorologist forecaster, SPREP adds.

The Finnish-Pacific (FINPAC) Project Manager for SPREP, Christina Leala-Gale, said they would like to see more Pacific island women working as technicians in the Met Services across the region.

“We actively promote this and are pleased to see the strong representation of Pacific island women at this workshop,” she adds.

Deputy Director for Solomon Islands Meteorological Services (SIMS), Mr Lloyd Tahani agrees that all science fields are for both men and women.

The gathering begins from 18 – 23 July, which includes Met officers from American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna.

The training aims at reducing the vulnerability of the livelihoods of Pacific islanders to the impacts of climate change through strengthening the Meteorological Services.

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THE TERMINATION of Solomon Airlines Chief Executive Officer Ron Sumsum was good news for all taxpayers.

His contract was extended for a year and should be relieved sometimes toward the end of this year.

However the Board of Solomon Airlines Limited under the chairmanship of Austin Holmes has announced the termination of Sumsum earlier than expected.

Sumsum’s earlier termination was welcomed by all working citizens who have been calling for his sacking in recent years.

A pilot by profession, Sumsum’s managerial duties as CEO of Solomon Airlines has not been a smooth ride.

Under his captaincy, one of the country’s biggest State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) has been making loses let alone getting huge benefits than the Australian Prime Minister.

He has been sucking a lump sum of Solomon Airlines revenue whilst the company was making loses each year under his leadership.

The controversial CEO even took a social media group Forum Solomon Islands International (FSII) to court for defamation but failed.

He took a tough stand against his critics within Solomon Airlines thus becoming unpopular in recent years.

After 10 years as CEO, the Ni-Vanuatu would now be relieved; however, there is unfinished business that he may still need to pursue.

The Solomon Airlines logo was registered under his name, but if this attachment has been severed to save our national carrier then bravo. He is also one of the directors of Pan Oceanic Bank.

He may be out for now, but he has established some business links that could still be his bread and butter despite his absence in the Happy Isles.

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“SIT DAON Pastaem – Sit and Listen and Discuss first, Move Behaen – Move later and Wok Wantaem – Working Together was an ideal T-shirt slogan and theme that we as well as our Melanesian counterparts, from Yus Conservation Area in Papua New Guinea took to the Society of Conservation Biology Oceania Conference held in Brisbane on 5 – 8 July 2016.

An exciting and memorable moment for first time travellers outside of the Solomon Islands and a moment in time our Team to share our stories to our colleagues, friends and researchers in the arena of Conservation Biology.

Our 12 member- Team that comprised of Donor partners; American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), University of Queensland (UQ), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Ecological Solutions Solomon Islands (ESSI), Solomon Islands Community Conservation Partnership (SICCP) and local Community Based Partner – Zaira Resource Management Association.

In a joint effort, an array of presenters took to the stage to share our experience and endeavours working on resource management activities in the SICCP Partnership Network for over 1/2 a decade.

Local Partners such as Zaira Resource Management Area represented by Hansome Here Jino and Veira Pulekera had the opportunity to share with the audience the Hope Practice a local resource management practice still being practiced in Marovo Lagoon since their ancestral times.

A local ranger – Mr Hikuna Judge presented a Poster on the Turtle monitoring work currently underway by local rangers of Zaira Community.

A 2-hour session – organised by AMNH Counterparts Dr Filardi and Cynthia Malone provided that space for the Team to discuss and consolidate on the guiding principles of which the 5-minutes talks will be focussed on for the Session on 7 July.

It was emphasised to the team to share their respective stories on the power of Science, the approach compatible for Conservation Biology to date and most importantly share their insights on how best we can frame our questions to villagers, discuss Science at its simplest form and most importantly translate Science into Action to produce tangible outcomes for local communities.

A presentation by Myknee Sirikolo, Solomon’s re-known Botanist, emphasised the importance of culture, people and land in management.

His focus was on family units as the basic unit in our households, that we could only move forward once all within our family unit is in line.

David Boseto, also a re-known Freshwater Scientist shared the results of previous Choiseul Province Expeditions beginning in 2005 to present the lessons learnt.

As result of these conversations and visioning of Dr Chris Filardi SICCP began in 2009.

The founding members of the organisation were Dr Pikacha, Myknee, David Boseto, Dr Chris Filardi, and previous USA volunteers, Keyvan and Emily Izadi.

The organisation was established to provide backstopping for funding organisations and to act as a ‘bridge’ between donors and community based organisations.

Based in Honiara, a team of 9 has been collaborating with long developing partners such as Tetepare Descendant Association (TDA), Kolombangara Island Biodiversity Conservation Area (KIBCA), communities of Marovo Lagoon working under the initiative Marovo Resource Management Area Network (MRMAN) and Kahua Association and Tawatana Community of Makira-Ulawa Province carrying out different resource based activities.

This 3-Day conference gave us an excellent opportunity for our Partnership Network to share their experiences on the work we have been doing for a few years now.

Hansome Jino, a long time Conservation Advocate and Teacher at Zaira Community, gave his sentiments to our International Partners for their time and effort to bringing us to this Conference.

In this talk he testified to the audience of how Partnership was fundamental and pivotal in bringing us all to work on resource management activities.

Dr Pikacha shared his sentiments on what he views as a gap in Conservation Biology work for the past decade.

How visiting researchers should commit and invest time to community consultations, understanding well the dynamics on the ground prior to conducting research in any field.

Knowledge extracted for these past century has mainly been in the interest of Researchers/International visitors but little is left behind for local communities of the Solomon Islands.

It was very important and a take home message for all attending that Science is the power of knowledge, it is important that we know where we are, what we know and assume to know nothing.

A compatible approach is ideal and through partnerships on the ground gives that ample space to integrate, discuss prior to implementation.

The Team looks forward for future participation at such workshop.

Working in Partnership is our Strength and we look forward for future collaborations in year and the many years to come.

— SICCP PRESS

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AN EIGHT-metre long whale has washed up dead on Gatokae island on Saturday 16, it is reported.

The cause of death is unknown for the young calf, however, reports from witnesses say that there are some tell-tale signs that it may have been caught in a fishing net.

The mammal’s carcass was spotted lying on the beach between the Ropika Resort and the Bekabeka Community High school, attracting excited onlookers from the surrounding communities.

However, amid the hype, concerned residents are calling on local experts to ascertain to them what to do with the whale’s body, saying that they fear the impacts posed on them when it decomposes.

In a statement to the paper, they say that they are concerned for the immediate surroundings, especially the pristine diving attractions in the area, the clear water and the nurtured corals, which they say may lead to loss in business if damaged by the whale’s rotting carcass.

They are also worried about the detrimental health effects that odour from the whale’s decomposing might have on the people of the surrounding communities.

The statement furthers that the community is having talks with the school administration on whether to tow the body out to sea or to burn the carcass. The latter idea considers retrieving the bones and teeth for whatever commercial purposes the villagers come up with.

The whale’s species has not been verified.

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HE WAS elected over a year ago, as premier of a Solomon Islands province that many have a love/hate relationship with. He is a first timer in the world of politics, leading a group of people stereotyped as hardworking, aggressive, arrogant and famous for their infamous involvement in the country’s four-year ethnic conflict which ended in 2003 – although ‘aftershocks’ can still be felt in his realm.

He entered office to be hit by a six figure debt incurred by previous authorities, his chances of decreasing this slim, due to a stagnant provincial economic base brought about by zero developments in the ‘tensions’ period, past governance leadership issues and a string of stymied provincial developments relying on god-sent foreign investors with buckets of money to fund such idealistic hopes. Even travelling to the province is a challenge as, (until just over a month ago), only one out of his five provincial airstrips was operating and that was not even the one in his capital.

What does the Premier do, where does he start?

Introducing Hon Peter Ramohia, the one year old premier of Malaita province.

Let’s backtrack. The year is 2015, the month is January. An unknown Malaitan has just been elected premier of Malaita province, a month after winning the provincial seat for Ward 24 in West Are ‘Are during the provincial elections in December 2014.

He had beaten his only rival, Rev Michael Maeliau, a veteran in Malaita politics, by eight votes, 20 to 12 with one non attendee, to become the number one man, heading the 33 member government of Malaita.

“Ramohia who?” Malaitan’s are asking.

Not a household name, but known enough to rural communities around the country where he had served as a marine scientist assisting villagers manage their sea resources.

Qualifying in chemistry and biology with a postgraduate degree in climate change, Peter hails from Uhu Village in Ward 24.

At 48 he is probably the youngest premier that Malaita has elected: maybe for the best, as the mess he was about to clean up, and is still cleaning, would probably kill any older patriarch.

Premier Ramohia had never dreamt that one day he would be a politician and a provincial premier at that. How did he catch the politics bug?

“Science is so different from politics,” Ramohia says.

“I spent 13 years in the Ministry of Fisheries and another five and a half years in The Nature Conservancy (a US based non-government organisation) working in communities and developing a passion for working with people to care for their marine resources, to inform them of the effects of climate change on their resources and how well they can respond to them.

“I learnt that government and non-government organisations have different ways of dealing with people and was able to see the needs of rural people and the hardships that they face in terms of their livelihoods, resource management and accessing government services. I wanted to help them, to be placed in a strategic position where I could do more for people and their communities.

“I see my election as a calling, a blessing from God. I do not count myself as fitting for this position so will endeavour to give the best of my abilities to help the people of my province,” the premier adds.

He is grateful and happy with the continuous support from his government and reflects on his successful premiership election.

“Although I was happy to be elected, I was also aware of the great responsibility that I would be shouldering as the premier of one of the toughest provinces in the country,” Hon Ramohia says.

He and his provincial government are very much aware of the challenges of economic downturn and law and order that his province had experienced and still do.

Even when we were speaking, there were already elements of the community hovering around the premier’s office with demands for recompense for so-called past activities rendered to the province, none of which the premier had the faintest idea or proof.

But, for the moment, maintaining peace on Malaita is more important than engaging in further negotiations with those who were past reasoning, so he had to ensure that they were appeased, at the expense of another budget deficit, hoping this will be the last remnant of the former Malaita.

The new Malaita which Hon Ramohia wants to create is one based on doing the right thing, promoting respect and justice for all citizens. A new Malaita that will strive to achieve economic, social and political growth.

He surveyed his internal and external provincial administration and was not satisfied with what he saw, so he pledged that his government would not do business as usual any more.

“We cannot continue with the same mistakes that dragged Malaita’s development down. We must do things differently and I am proud that the members of my government support me in this. We all are serious about making a change and we all are committed to it,” the premier said.

“The happiness I felt after the successful provincial and premier elections was for the people who believed in me by voting for me, but it also extended to my opponents who after the elections, approached me to openly express their support for my leadership and asked to work with me,” he says.

There is no national legislated provision for provincial governments to establish official offices of opposition although Hon Ramohia suspected that it could be done, but the overwhelming support from all the Malaita provincial members made that threat a non-reality.

“It was as if the opposition saw the need to leave differences aside and co-operate to lead together as one government,” Premier Ramohia says. “I decided that my government would share its leadership across the whole of Malaita with no preconceived ideas but to push for fairness and equal representation.”

The main portfolios of the Malaita provincial government are therefore shared among the five regions of Malaita, resulting in sixteen ministries and a seventeenth being the premier’s office.

With determination to create the new Malaita, the premier and his government began carefully prioritising, wading their way through the never ending masses of long, medium and short term challenges that they have identified since their short time in office.

Having a Malaita provincial plan is the first priority and one which aligns with the current DCC government’s national policies and projects.

In his inaugural speech Hon Ramohia promised that the Malaita provincial government would have a policy within seven days, one that would be drawn not only by Malaitan’s but others who have an affinity to the province.

But these strategies will not eventuate without funds, so he made his government’s second priority to ensure that Malaita province access the national government’s Provincial Capacity Development Fund or PCDF by meeting its seven minimum conditions which are; core staffing in place, natural justice, management of provincial capacity development fund accounts, financial reporting, bank reconciliation, audit report, and co-funding.

The premier explains that since 2011, Malaita province had missed out on the PCDF (for obvious reasons) then proudly says that the efforts of his government to turn things around had enabled the province to rake in a $10.2 million total from the PCDF in 2015, barely a year under his leadership.

No time was wasted in using the funds to support twenty three provincial projects, with one, a science laboratory for Kiu Community High School in West Are Are, completed and another a two storeyed classroom on Kwai island in East Malaita.

Hon Ramohia said his government will keep striving to meet the seven conditions required of the PCDF and if successful, 2016 will see a further $13 to $15 million dollars deposited in the province’s coffers for solid and tangible projects based on the felt needs of his rural people.

“We plan to keep qualifying until we become permanent which will be great as we will keep developing our province,” Hon Ramohia beams.

The third priority for the Malaita provincial government is to settle the $5 million provincial debt incurred by previous authorities and he is confident that by stepping up the province’s revenue collection, the debt will be history in the first or second quarter of this financial year.

“We are working on a new strategy for revenue collection. We aim to assess and strengthen our revenue sources. My officers will be touring the whole province to identify existing business operations and to explain the reasons for increasing the province’s revenue base. I believe that people will appreciate what the province is trying to do with a sound understanding of the reasons for applying the new measures. Their cooperation will result in a much needed surplus for the province,” the premier explains.

He adds that last year, the province collected about $6 million and he is optimistic for a major increase this year.

The current revenue sources for Malaita includes levy’s imposed on incoming vessels into Auki harbour, logging licences, basic rates and taxes imposed on properties, wharfage and road use. According to the premier, logging licences will be increased this year which should not only be viewed as extra revenue for the province but also as a deterrent for the preservation of the province’s forests.

Premier Ramohia further reveals that his government has received interest from the mining world but has placed them on the back burner as they are not a priority as yet.

His government’s fourth priority is to revitalise and reinvigorate the Chazon Development Authority, the business arm of the province.

The roadmap for this priority includes the renaming and reorganising of the company, exploring management options and models of operation; perhaps the venture could be managed by the provincial government or leased to a local or foreign investor to operate on its behalf.

His government wants the new name to be Malaita Investment Corporation Limited (MICL) and it will be provided with enabling conditions to consider shareholding opportunities, acquiring property and making loans.

One thing is for sure, his government will ensure that any personnel recruited for the positions in the new company are the best.

The ideal would be to recruit professional Malaitan’s but if these cannot be found, non-Malaitan’s including expatriates will be considered, on condition that they must demonstrate passion and the heart for making good Malaita and its people.

The premier says he is mindful of Malaitan millionaires who have used provincial business opportunities to boost their wealth, and wants to assure them that his government has no intention of creating direct competition with such people.

With his government’s four priorities outlined, there is one last crosscutting priority on the premier’s mind, a priority which is deeply rooted in the many provincial ills and conflicts, resulting in deaths and the disruption of major provincial developments and services such as the closure of 99% of the airfields in the province. This priority is customary land ownership.

The first step in addressing this has been made possible with the assistance of the national government which facilitated a study tour by the premier and a delegation from his government to Fiji at the end of May 2016 to study the customary land system in that country.

On his return the premier was able to make comparisons on a rather loose customary land arrangement in Solomon Islands and a legislated, organised and workable land system in Fiji.

Hon Ramohia says the problem with the selling of customary land in Solomon Islands is that land is relinquished by the owner to the buyer once the transaction is done. Disagreements and disputes later arise when other disgruntled family members also claim ownership of the land, especially if they felt deprived of some remuneration from the sale.

In Fiji, customary land is not sold but leased and land is not owned by one individual but by a tribe. A legally established body in Fiji called the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) oversees the affairs of all tribes’ customary lands.

It is mandatory for the names of all the members of each tribe and their genealogy to be recorded. Their land and boundaries are also registered as well as the use of their land for residing, gardening and leasing to others who want to invest in a tribe’s customary land.

The benefits from the land in terms of royalties and other fees are paid directly to the TLTB which has the bank account details of all tribal members and pays each one’s share into their individual bank accounts. Those under 18 have their shares held by the TLTB as trustees until they come of age and can have their own bank accounts into which the TLTB directly deposits their shares.

Premier Ramohia says that all the arrangements highlighted on the customary land arrangements are anchored in five pieces of legislation in Fiji. He adds that this Fiji customary land system works well for its people and added that a DCCG priority for Solomon Islands is land reform and traditional governance.

There is political will in the national government to ensure that they are carried out and Malaita has been earmarked to pilot land reform. The trip to Fiji therefore was crucial for the premier and his government delegation in light of this proposed pilot.

A Malaitan lawyer well versed in land matters both in Solomon Islands and Fiji, currently living in Fiji, has been working closely with the TLTB to gain that sound understanding of the Fiji customary land system to see how applicable it will be to the situation in Solomon Islands especially in Malaita where the pilot is going to happen.

Being the advocate of inclusiveness that he is, the Malaita premier is also going to look into how the matriarchal side of Malaitan tribes will be featured when conducting the pilot, knowing too well that land in Malaita is passed down through men but acknowledging that men have sisters and female relatives as well.

Fiji is the only country in the whole world which anchors its customary land in law with regards to the recording of their tribes, genealogy and land boundaries, the registration and use of land, and he is determined for such an arrangement to also apply in Malaita province.

Traditional chiefs will play a major role with the provincial Ministry of Peace in the tribes and genealogy recording, Hon Ramohia says. He is hoping that these traditional leaders will be travelling to Auki in the coming months for the premier and his government to help them understand and rally support for the proposed pilot.

A report by his delegation on the Fiji land study tour will be submitted to the prime minister after which Malaita will be given the ‘green light’ to roll out the land reform programme. The premier is mindful of the major challenges that will come with this undertaking, such as the initial decision to be made on which part of the province, and at what provincial government level or what population size etc., the pilot will be conducted. He is also mindful that all eyes will be on Malaita as the pilot is important for the rest of the country.

Meanwhile back in his office, Hon Ramohia is committed to addressing his provincial priorities strengthening all enablers to ensure their slow, sure and effective implementation. Such an enabler is the provincial administration in the capital of Malaita, Auki.

“We must set our house in order and find solutions,” he says. “The provincial administration needs a good shake up, as staff morale is low, work ethics and the competency of workers is not up to form. Nor are the recording and managing of funds and adherence to policies and procedures.”

He is pleased that some training undertaken by staff has enabled them to improve and he plans to get overseas volunteers to continue with their capacity building. He is forging more consultations among the staff, kick starting with monthly consultative staff meetings.

Now with a provincial secretary in place, a supportive provincial government, priorities sorted, and a national project to be piloted in his province, premier Ramohia is confident that his government is now effectively equipped, ‘come what may.’

He is pleased with the pace at which his government is working, the successes that they are reaping and the qualification for the PCDF and is confident that money will not be a problem for the dreams of his people to be realised.

“Things can only get better,” the Malaita premier smiles in conclusion.

By Ms Afu Billy

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THE MINISTRY of Tourism and Culture is emphasising sustainable tourism development.

Minister Bartholomew Parapolo revealed this when opening the latest resort in the country – Evis Resort in the Western Province on Tuesday.

“At the policy level we adopted a new strategic approach that emphasizes a more sustainable tourism development approach.

“Our focus is on spreading the benefits of tourism to all provinces of Solomon Islands,” he added.

Minister Parapolo said the Democratic Coalition for Change (DCC) Government through his ministry is looking at creating and promoting new tourism business opportunities for foreign investors who are interested in investing their monies into the local tourism industry.

“This is for the benefit of our people and for the betterment of our local economy,” he said.

The Member of Parliament for Gela reiterated that his ministry and the Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau (SIVB) are looking forward to working together with Evis Resort and its directors in transforming tourism industry to a new level.

Minister Parapolo, his Principal Tourism Officer Mr Gregory Auta’a and SIVB Senior Marketing Officer Mr Ellison Kyere attended the opening of Evis Resort at Nggatirana Island in South Vangunu.

Minister Parapolo then presented a cash gift of $20,000 to the owners of the Evis Resort for the commitment in establishing this new resort.

Evis Resort is owned by couple Andrew Granger and Gerbera Maqiti along with Gerbera’s siblings.

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A WORKSHOP at Solomon Islands National University yesterday tried to find a solution to the country’s ballooning youth population. The statistics were alarming.

Of the country’s population of about 596,000 nearly 60 percent are below the age of 25, and in the main urban centre of Honiara young people make up 30 percent of the population. When you look at other statistics, the picture is grimmer with nearly five times more births than deaths, and far more males than females – in a country where women are the main target in domestic violence cases.

The workshop tagged the issues related to the high youth population with peacebuilding, perhaps a poignant reminder of the country’s recent history and how issues can also easily get out of hand and put peace at risk. A study being undertaken at the poverty stricken settlement of Burns Creek was highlighted and discussions touched on how related were the rise in youth population and the increase in crime.

These are not issues unique to the Solomon Islands; urban drift, unemployment and crime are global issues and many countries in the world have a Burns Creek somewhere in a neighbourhood. What’s worrying, though, is that the Solomon Islands lacks the resources present in the larger, more developed countries to deal with these problems and does not have the safety net to stop young people from falling through the cracks. While in many countries youth unemployment and crime are simply that, in the Solomon Islands, as the commentary from Burns Creek shows, these problems can also metamorphose into more unpleasant consequences and, possibly, group violence.

The Solomon Islands has one of the fastest population growths in the Pacific region and when you combine that with urban drift you end up with unwanted pressures on services like housing, education, health, food supplies and law and order. Poverty can increase and the already high population, especially among youths, can fuel greater increases as younger people become older, get married and they themselves have children. The cycle carries on and if left unchecked will result in a downward spiral and become even more difficult to deal with.

Yesterday, the question that was being asked was, what do we do? Do we send young people back to the villages? Do we provide more jobs? Do we increase education opportunities? Do we call on the churches for help? If the figure of 60 percent is correct then we are talking about a youth population of about 350,000, a group where people are at an age when they should be productive. But how do we find work for that many people? How do we wean them off drugs, alcohol and crime? How do we keep them off the streets? There are more questions than answers and finding solutions is an almost impossible task, like trying to raise the Titanic from its deep, dark grave, especially when you hear at the workshop that young people and their issues are low on the political agenda and are also at the bottom of budgetary allocations.

While we may not find lasting answers today, or tomorrow or next year, we have to commend the university, the United Nations Development Programme and their government partners in continuing discussions and trying to chart a way forward, because looking for answers indeed needs partnership, as yesterday’s workshop showed. And while there didn’t seem to have been any politician present, bearing in mind that political decisions are important here, the workshop itself brought together some of the best brains around. Hopefully, eventually, we’ll also have some of the best answers.

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A LOCAL woman has tapped new markets oversea after showcasing local artefacts in the 12th Festival of the Pacific Arts in Guam recently.

The opportunity marks a new chapter that will boost local artefacts in the country, encouraging more women to strive in preserving traditional products.

Artefacts are local products that most tourists visiting Solomon Islands are interested in buying.

Veronica Bulu, who joined the Solomon Islands contingent as a local artist during the Pacific festival, said she has found and built contacts and markets in Guam.

She said her local artefacts now have a market in Guam.

Mrs Bulu said shell money, necklaces and other traditional artefacts have been sent last month.

She is currently working on her second marketing to another client who last week requested carvings and lavalava in Solomon Islands designs.

“Going to Guam is blessing as it open door for her local products to be sold off-shore and to widen marketing strategy,” she said.

Mrs Bulu has been doing artefacts selling for three years now and joined the Arts Association after leaving formal employment in 2013.

She said her main goal is set on incomes for sustaining family welfare and future plan to build a house.

She said about USD$5,000 to USD$10,000 is earned monthly from artefacts sold locally.

However, the road is also easy, as she says that she too has her own share of problems which sometimes questions her stride.

But, despite the challenges, Mrs Bulu thanks her mum who she says has been her constant companion in her journey always reminding her to never give up and also giving the extra hand here and there when needed.

In the meantime, women who use the Art Gallery are calling responsible authorities to improve the complex to make it look attractive and conducive.

“This will help women in the country support their family as well as their dreams in life too,” Mrs Bulu adds.

Mrs Bulu sells artefacts from Mondays to Saturdays at the Art Gallery.

Local artefacts she makes include; shell money, paper beads re-cycled from magazine papers, ear-rings, bangles, bracelets and dyed lavalava.

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JONES ADVENTIST College (JAC) in North Vella Lavella, Western Province has elevated to new heights with a new market house, thanks to the member for ward 10, Iriqila, Hon Jane Tozaka and the Western Provincial government.

The $195,000-worth building washes away the once-usual difficulties faced by market vendors and their produces during rainy seasons and bad weather.

Speaking in yesterday’s opening ceremony, Hon Jane Tozaka, who spearheaded the fulfillment of the need, said after witnessing three groups of women selling food under in the open on a rainy day, she promised to assist them with the market house.

“Because of that I sought assistance from the provincial government which we now witnessed today.

“I would like to thank the government of Western Province, the Chief Planning Officer, and Minister for Planning and the Executive for the final approval of the budget,” Mrs Tozaka said.

In his keynote address, Western Province Deputy Premier, Wayne Maepio applauds Mrs Tozaka and highlighted that yesterday’s accomplishment would go some way in alleviating some of the issues women face in their struggles to earn income to support their family.

“Now at least you have a structure where you can come and trade without having to find shelter when it rains. This is also goes to customers who come to buy your produces.

“This project was funded under the PCDF component of PGSP and costs almost $195,000 and as such I would like to thank the Ministry of Provincial government for making it possible.

“Equally important as well is Western Provincial government’s policy with regards to creating a conducive environment to assist economic activities in rural areas and this project is a realisation of that view,” Deputy Premier Maepio said.

JACV Principal, Kenny Elisha thanked the Mrs Tozaka and the provincial government and urged students to take good care of the facility.

A highpower delegation by the Western Provincial government consisting of executive members and heads of divisions travelled to JAC for the ceremony and extended to Iriqila Community High School where a formal handing over of the newly completed Iriqila CHS was also unveiled.

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IRIQILA COMMUNITY High School (CHS) in remote North Vella La Vella has taken ownership of a new $1.3million double-storey classroom building.

A high powered delegation from the Western Provincial government headed by Deputy Premier, Wayne Maepio, handed over the keys of the new classroom building in a landmark handover ceremony yesterday afternoon.

In his keynote address, Deputy Premier Maepio emphasised that education brings the key to equal opportunity and livelihood.

“It took seven long years for this project to be completed. I can understand the frustrations and disappointments you might have endured during these times. But thank God, we are here and the project has been completed and it is for you to take ownership of it and use it for the benefit of the communities in and around here.

“This project was funded under the Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF) component of the Provincial Government Strengthening Programme (PGSP) and costs almost $1.328 million and as such I would like to thank the Ministry of Provincial Government for making it possible,” Deputy Premier Maepio said.

He said from policy objective, the Western Provincial government 2014/2017 objective is to ‘create a conducive environment for planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of education policies, programmes and projects that will enhance development of all citizens as productive individuals with knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to earn a living and live in harmony with other people and their environment.’

Iriqila CHS Principal, Duddley Liva, thanked the provincial government for realisation of the need, and reemphasised that education is an important component of the development of future leaders.

“Education is the core fundamental value for our future leaders, we need to be educated and that is why we are indeed happy and to have the honour to own this building today.

“I must admit that education is the priority of our needs, thank you Western Provincial government for the support.

“I believe there will still be a lot of challenges for us, but I trust that by working together with the provincial government and the community here, will enable a better learning environment for our children to learn.

“We appreciate and acknowledge the support and this is our time to manage this building so that it will benefit our children, and their children’s children for many more years to come,” Principal Liva said.

Western Province Chief Education Officer, Hopeful Piosasa, said the final completion and the first intake for form one this year is an achievement that the community and the province should be proud of.

Iriqila CHS is under the United Church Education Authority, and Western Province has a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Church, according to Mr Piosasa.

The fully furnished building houses four classrooms, two at the top stairs with the school administration office, and two at the bottom stairs.

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WOMEN MARKET producers at Iriqila and Dovele districts in North Vella La Vella, Western Province will now be able to easily transport their produce, thanks to ward member, Jane Tozaka.

Mrs Tozaka through support from her spouse and Member of Parliament for North Vella La Vella, Milner Tozaka, officially handed over the two brand new 15-horsepower engines at a hand-over ceremony at Jones Adventist College (JAC) yesterday.

Mrs Tozaka has also presented a 100 litres fuel voucher to the recipients, and also took the time to donate $2000 to JAC yesterday.

She said the assistance was brought about after a community chief sought assistance for five horsepower engines for women to transport market produces to the JAC market.

Mrs Tozaka said she sought support from MP for North Vella La Vella through his Constituency Development Officer (CDO) and Project Officer and was given approval.

She has also identified the custodians, and urged women and users to take good care of the two engines during their usage and custody.

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A NEW group of enthusiastic Male Champions of Solomon Islands will soon be formalised under the auspices of the Solomon Islands National Council of Women with the aim of supporting gender issues, including women’s participation in politics, economic and social development.

The Group met on Wednesday 27 June, 2016, for the first time at the YWCA, following some earlier discussions with interested individual males who love to see Solomon Islands progressing with a difference which can only be possible with more women participating in decision-making at all levels.

It was also an initiative following one of the recommendations made by students at the Students Forum organised by the National Council of Women with the Young Women in Parliament early this year to mark the International Women’s Day held at the National Parliament Paul Tovua complex.

Encouraged by the Convenor of the meeting Mr Casper Fa’asala, who is currently the Advocator for Women in Leadership in the country, said: “Solomon Islands will need to think outside the box in its strategy focus when it comes to Gender Equality” by bringing The Male Champions of Solomon Islands Movement through a new platform that involves men of power and influence that will form a high profile coalition to achieve change on gender equality issues in decision-making bodies and organisations including communities we live in.

Mr Fa’asala, who recently attended a Workshop on “Improving Women’s Electoral Chances through an Evidence-based Approach” in Canberra, Australia, supported the need for the creation of such bodies to supporting women, because of our Melanesian Male dominant cultures in society, therefore needs the formation of very strong influential male champions who will help Solomon Islands graduate from where we are at the moment.

Only by so doing we will be able to create a space for more women to be able to advance further towards greater participation in leadership, education and economic development.

It is time that we must not see Women’s issues as Women’s Business, but everybody’s business thus, it is a national call and obligation to the State and its citizens to supporting women who represents almost half of our Solomon Islands population through which their potentials can be fully recognised towards building a Strong and Vibrant Nation of Families and Economy.

The Male Champions of Solomon Islands group hopes to grow to its fullest and is currently developing a TOR that will help guide its operational mandate, partnership and a New Political Platform to supporting Women in the lead preparations towards the 2018/19 National General Election.

The group welcomes membership both from Male and Female Leaders and more especially those aspiring leadership at all levels including students from Senior Secondary Schools and Tertiary Institutions.

The Challenge to the country is to identify new visions that will make a difference for our children and the next generation and therefore invite and encourage more leaders to adopt or evolve this strategy to help respond to our gender equality challenges faced by our country, organisation bodies both government and CSOs and in our country as a whole.

The Male Champions of Solomon Islands hopes to build its resources for civic education on citizens rights and participation, leadership and governance, awareness to strengthening party politics in the country and women’s participation in politics and electoral processes.

By Casper Joseph Fa’asala

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TO CELEBRATE World Toothbrush day, which is held annually on July 29, Bulk Shop will give away a free toothbrush with all Pepsodent toothpastes bought. The toothbrushes all have the value of $4.

Company rep Ian Bowen said he was happy that he could celebrate World Toothbrush Day in such a positive way that benefits the company’s valued customer, adding that “We’re the Hapi islands. We should all smile more”.

At the new KG Bulk the smiles on the faces of recipients was priceless.

All Bulk Shops and participating outlets have this giveaway with all Pepsodent toothpastes bought.

Pepsodent is an American brand of toothpaste that has a minty flavour and was introduced in 1915 by a company in Chicago. This makes Pepsodent a 100-year brand of toothpaste that has been developed to target the prevention of cavities, fight fresh breath and whitening.

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THE CENTRAL Bank of Solomon Islands (CBSI) in partnership with the UNCDF/UNDP Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme (PFIP) is undertaking a comprehensive review of the current Insurance legislation in the country.

The objective of this review exercise is to draft a new Insurance Act that will bring Solomon Islands up to date with global standards and practices. This is also part of the larger financial sector policy reforms led by the CBSI.

The PFIP was requested by the CBSI to provide the technical assistance and accordingly PFIP has contracted Mr William Palmer, a leading insurance attorney from Sacramento, California, USA, who is presently in the country facilitating the stakeholder consultation process.

A policy paper covering suggested changes and amendments to the existing Act besides a comparison of the Solomon Islands Insurance Act with the Fiji Insurance Act has been completed as part of the initial deliverables. The key insights from these have been shared with industry stakeholders and formed the basis of the ongoing consultations.

As next steps, Mr Palmer is expected to summarise the feedback, comments and suggestions received from stakeholders and these inputs will feed into the next version of the draft Act that will be submitted to the CBSI. Thereafter CBSI is expected to submit a paper to Cabinet seeking due approvals to proceed further with developing the legislation.

Trevor Manemahaga, Manager (Applied Research, Policy and Regulation) of CBSI and Krishnan Narasimhan, PFIP Financial Inclusion Specialist are anchoring the consultation process with stakeholders that will conclude by 29 July, 2016.

Industry and stakeholder submissions will continue to be received over email for further analysis and inclusion in the review. CBSI and PFIP would like to thank all stakeholders who participated in the consultations and seek their continued support in completing the task successfully.

The Insurance Act review technical assistance provided by PFIP is funded through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australian Bi-lateral Aid Programme to Solomon Islands.

— CBSI PRESS

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LEADER OF Independent group in Parliament Hon Dr Derek Sikua has participated in a parliamentary workshop in Brisbane, Queensland to discuss cybercrime and cybersecurity.

The Asia-Pacific regional workshop was organised by the UK branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in partnership with the Queensland Parliament, which forms part of a major international parliamentary project on cybercrime.

The project-funded by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office – also see the production of an innovative and freely available e-handbook.

This will bring together examples of good practice and case studies in order to build a comprehensive resource to aid parliamentarians in their implementation and oversight of cybersecurity laws.

Further regional workshops will take place in Africa and the Caribbean, before a major international conference on national security is to be held in London next spring.

Dr Hon Derek Sikua said: “Parliamentarians have a responsibility to ensure that national security is hardwired into all aspects of the legislative process, therefore I am delighted I have participated in this important and exciting conference.

“We have an integral role in legislation, budget approval and scrutiny, and so we are uniquely positioned to influence the shape and content of national cybersecurity and cybercrime strategies.

“With 3.3 billion people online, almost half the global population, the issue of cybersecurity and cybercrime is now firmly on the global agenda, and with my participation it will further help to promote the good work that has already been done in Solomon Islands whilst learning about what other countries are doing.

“With the skills and examples of best practice learnt during the workshop I hope it will be put to practical and effective use to ensure that Solomon Islands has a fully-functioning cybersecurity strategy.”

The workshop started from Wednesday 27 July –Friday 28 July 2016.

— PARLIAMENTARY INDEPENDENT GROUP PRESS

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THE HONIARA Football Association (HFA) leagues will resume this weekend with matches to be played at the King George Sixth fields.

HFA confirmed that matches from the Premier Division, Division one and Division two will kick off on Saturday and continuing on Sunday.

Premier Division matches for tomorrow will see Koloale FC taking on Relas FC 2pm followed by Solomon Warriors FC taking on Northern United FC at the KGVI south field at 4pm.

Then Hana FC will take on Sokamora FC in the first game for Division One followed by Islanders FC taking Cy Strikers FC at 12pm.

Kukume Bombers FC then will take on Henderson Eels FC in the last match for Division one at 4pm tomorrow.

Division Two matches for tomorrow will see Las United FC and Three United FC meeting at 10am followed by Ma’asina FC and Our Breeze FC match at 12pm.

Rivantor Hunters FC then meets Kakamora FC at 2pm in the final match for the day.

All division matches will continue this coming Sunday.

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AN ACTION plan has been put together to restore health services in Western Province following the fire that razed the old Gizo hospital last Friday.

The fire has claimed huge losses for the provincial health authority as large amounts of medical supplies, administration documents, computers and other valuable medical items were lost to the fire.

Director of National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), Loti Yates, who is in Gizo this week, said an action plan has been made between the fire disaster task force committee and the Western Provincial government.

“This action plan actually identifies priority action steps that Western Provincial Health services must do to bring back health services in Western Province to what it was like before the fire.

“This burnt down building holds some of the key functions of health services in Western Province, this includes medical store, antenatal and environmental health, Western provincial health administration and mental ward.

“So the building actually does have important functions that have impact in Western Provincial health services,” Mr Yates told local reporters in an interview at Gizo this week.

He said their assessments have identified key priority areas that the Ministry of Health must deal with.

“Firstly is that the nature of this disaster is fire, and made mostly of asbestos materials and there is high risk of asbestos contained in the remains.

“So the police and Western Provincial health services must cordon off this area to ensure that people have no access to that area.

“The second one is to remove those remains, so we give two weeks after support is derived, for the Western Provincial health services clear the whole place and bury the remains,” he said.

The NDMO Director said the actual work plan has been done and costed.

“We are hoping that the nature of this particular disaster people should take serious about and the government will quickly make funding to take actions to address.

“Apart from that is to ensure that services are running smoothly because pharmacy storage, kitchen and laundry were also burnt down.

“These are critical areas to address because it will affect patients at the Gizo hospital and also the pharmacy which catered for all health centres and clinics throughout Western Province.

“The Ministry of Health has immediately responded by sending in a bulk supply of medical drugs but there is no proper storage facility,” Mr Yates said.

The head of NDMO said the Gizo disaster management office and Gizo Red Cross Office will work with the Western Province health Services to execute the action plan.

Mr Yates has also acknowledged the support given by Gizo Red Cross after the fire disaster.

The NDMO Director and the Under Secretary of the Ministry for Environment, Chanel Iroi were in Gizo this week to provide support for the provincial disaster office in Gizo and Western Provincial Health Services over ways to address the aftermath of the old Gizo hospital disaster.

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