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104.1 Barava Fm- Live & Love the Classics, P O Box 2025, Honiara (2025)

17/12/2025

𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗣 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗴𝗮𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀

Technical officers from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) contracted for the Sustainable Energy from Biogas for Solomon Islands (SENBIOSIS) project are currently in the country to consult with project stakeholders.

Funded by the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) from the Government of Italy, the project will be implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Government of Solomon Islands and will operate in Guadalcanal and Malaita Provinces.

Running from January 2026 to July 2028, the project has a budget of USD 1.58 million.

SENBIOSIS is designed to improve access to clean and affordable energy in off-grid rural areas by promoting the use of biogas technology. The project will reduce organic waste and reliance on firewood by supporting the installation of biogas digesters at commercial livestock farms, rural households, and waste management facilities.

During their visit, UNDP technical officers held initial consultations with the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification (MMERE) and toured several piggery farms outside Honiara yesterday with a team from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) to assess the suitability of farms for piloting the SENBIOSIS project.

MAL Permanent Secretary Dr Samson Viulu stated that the project aims to establish a minimum of 10 biogas plants.

“𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 10 𝒃𝒊𝒐𝒈𝒂𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒈 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒂𝒘 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍, 𝒔𝒐 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 100 𝒕𝒐 300 𝒑𝒊𝒈𝒔,” Dr Viulu said.

The biogas plants will be customized to the size of each piggery farm, producing gas for cooking and, where possible, electricity generation, providing a renewable energy source that reduces firewood consumption.

The 10 commercial pig farms targeted could reduce at least 1,590 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent per year from avoided methane emissions. Replacing fossil fuel use, such as a 5-kW generator operating 8 hours daily (emitting 13 tonnes CO₂eq/year), would further increase reductions.

Combined, SENBIOSIS could prevent approximately 2,890 tonnes of CO₂eq emissions annually, supporting Solomon Islands’ climate mitigation efforts.

Pigs are the most common livestock in rural Solomon Islands, with an average of 5.8 pigs per person, amounting to roughly 3.5 million pigs for a rural population of 600,000. These pigs generate around 2 million tonnes of slurry annually, yet only 20 to 25 percent is used as fertilizer, with the remainder often polluting land and waterways. Commercial pig farms are concentrated near Honiara, with 45 to 50 active farms, while urban areas generate significant organic municipal waste.

The project is co-led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification, with UNDP implementing the initiative under a Direct Implementation Modality.

MAL will support agricultural development, livestock activities, and rural livelihoods, while MMERE’s Energy Division will provide technical support for biogas systems, quality control, training, and help establish biogas cooperatives or enterprises to ensure sustainability beyond the project’s lifespan.

Biogas is a proven technology that converts manure and organic waste into energy for cooking and electricity. A previous UNDP and FAO study under the SCALA Project confirmed the technical, environmental, and financial potential of biogas production from pig farm waste and municipal solid waste. However, limited technical capacity, financing constraints, and weak infrastructure currently hinder sector growth, highlighting the need for external support.

SENBIOSIS aligns with Solomon Islands’ climate commitments under the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP).

𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦

17/12/2025

𝗣𝗠 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗱𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗲

ᴴᵒⁿⁱᵃʳᵃ, ˢᵒˡᵒᵐᵒⁿ ᴵˢˡᵃⁿᵈˢ, ᵂᵉᵈ ¹⁷ ᴰᵉᶜ ²⁰²⁵ – Prime Minister Hon. Jeremiah Manele reflected on Parliament’s work and national achievements during his winding up remarks as the House adjourned sine die today.

The Prime Minister thanked all Members who spoke on the motion, particularly those on the Opposition and Independent benches, as well as Ministers who outlined their Ministries’ achievements in 2025 and priorities for 2026.

“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔, 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒎 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝑰𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂,” he said.

He reaffirmed the Government’s transformation agenda under its four policy pillars: Unity and Stability, Economic Transformation, Infrastructure Development, and Human Capital Development. He noted that these pillars provide a clear and coherent framework for national development.

“𝑨𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝑰 𝒅𝒐 𝒔𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒎 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister encouraged Members to return in 2026 with renewed vigour and a sense of purpose to serve the people and country. He then formally moved that the Honourable House adjourned sine die.

[𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦]

17/12/2025

𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗗𝗘𝗩𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗛𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗞𝗘, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙 𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗩𝗔𝗡𝗨𝗔𝗧𝗨 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬

ᴾᵒʳᵗ ⱽⁱˡᵃ, ⱽᵃⁿᵘᵃᵗᵘ – ¹⁷ ᴰᴱᶜ ²⁰²⁵ - One year after a powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Vanuatu, the country continues its journey of recovery and resilience with sustained support from UNICEF and partners.

The earthquake, which hit on 17 December 2024, affected more than 80,000 people, including over 40,000 children, causing widespread damage to homes, schools, health facilities and critical infrastructure. Powerful tremors toppled buildings, triggered landslides that blocked roads and isolated communities, and left thousands displaced. Fourteen people lost their lives, while nearly 80 per cent of Efate Island’s population was impacted.

Schools, hospitals and bridges were severely damaged, disrupting essential services for children and families and deepening existing vulnerabilities across the country.

From the first day of the emergency, UNICEF worked closely with the Government of Vanuatu and humanitarian partners to respond to urgent needs. Within 24 hours, emergency relief reached affected communities, while rapid assessments and coordinated response plans were launched to guide immediate assistance and early recovery efforts.

Over the past year, UNICEF has continued to support the Government and people of Vanuatu through recovery initiatives focused on restoring essential social services, strengthening national systems and building community resilience. These efforts have addressed multiple ongoing risks, including climate-related hazards and disease outbreaks.

In collaboration with government and civil society partners, UNICEF has helped more than 30,000 people access vital services in water, sanitation and hygiene, education, health, nutrition and child protection, while over 100,000 people have been reached through social and behaviour change messaging.

This report highlights the collective achievements made possible through strong partnerships with government counterparts, civil society organisations and donors. It also shares powerful stories of resilience from children, families and frontline workers who continue to rebuild and adapt in the face of adversity.

As Vanuatu marks one year since the earthquake, UNICEF reaffirms its commitment to supporting the country’s recovery and strengthening resilience, ensuring that every child can survive and thrive.

𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦

17/12/2025

𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗸𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗨𝗔𝗘 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗯𝘂 𝗗𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Solomon Islands, Hon. Peter Shanel Agovaka, held a fruitful bilateral meeting with Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, 16 December 2025.

The meeting focused on strengthening and enhancing bilateral relations between Solomon Islands and the UAE. Both Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to working together in areas of cooperation that are mutually beneficial to the two countries and their peoples.

Minister Agovaka highlighted several priority areas where Solomon Islands is keen to collaborate with the UAE, including technical cooperation, digital technology and science, renewable energy, support for climate change mitigation and adaptation programmes, and cyber security.

On the Air Services Agreement (ASA), which was signed by both countries in 2019 but has yet to be implemented, Minister Agovaka sought the UAE’s assistance in providing capacity-building and technical support for Solomon Islanders in the aviation sector.

Both Ministers agreed to collaborate closely on advancing the implementation of the ASA.
On economic and trade cooperation, Minister Agovaka emphasized the importance of the proposed UAE–Pacific Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

He reaffirmed Solomon Islands’ commitment to the CEPA and expressed his country’s readiness to further engage with the UAE to ensure the agreement delivers mutual benefits.
The discussion also explored new areas of cooperation, including labour mobility and search and rescue.

Minister Agovaka informed Her Excellency Al Kaabi that Solomon Islands stands ready to support the UAE in addressing labour gaps associated with major infrastructure projects, such as the development of the Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai.

Both Ministers welcomed the proposal to further explore this cooperation through a Memorandum of Understanding on Labour Mobility.

As a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), Minister Agovaka underscored Solomon Islands’ vulnerability to natural disasters and the need to strengthen institutional capacity within the marine sector. He noted that sea ambulances and rescue boats are critical for disaster response operations and welcomed any support the UAE may provide in this area.

Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi thanked Minister Agovaka for the constructive bilateral engagement.

Both Ministers agreed to direct officials from their respective ministries to advance discussions on pending draft Memoranda of Understanding and agreements, particularly those relating to the Air Services Agreement, cyber security, and CEPA.

The meeting concluded with both Ministers reiterating the importance of strong bilateral relations between Solomon Islands and the UAE.
Minister Agovaka reaffirmed the close friendship between the two countries and highlighted Solomon Islands’ strong ties with the broader Gulf region.

Minister Agovaka was accompanied at the meeting by Solomon Islands’ Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, His Excellency Mr. Cornelius Walegerea, and senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade.

𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦

17/12/2025

𝐍𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝

The new Nursery House for Betikama Adventist College (BAC) has now been completed and is ready for use. This facility will support the school in establishing both vegetable and cocoa nurseries, helping the campus move towards becoming a Centre of Excellence.

The Cocoa Nursery House was funded by ADRA Australia through the Sustainable Economic and Agriculture Solutions (SEAS) Project, which focuses on strengthening sustainable agriculture opportunities for the school.

The aim of the project is to improve the wellbeing of students at Betikama Adventist College and help build resilient.

Project Manager, Gibson Apusae, said the project is progressing well and the school is very excited about the new development.

“𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝑩𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒌𝒂𝒎𝒂 𝑺𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒏𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒗𝒆𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒄𝒐𝒂 𝒏𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔,” Mr Apusae said.

“𝑨 𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒎 𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍’𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔,”
he added.

Mr Apusae also confirmed that he has prepared the nursery beds for the upcoming cocoa seedlings.

“𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒄𝒐𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅, 𝒂𝒔 𝑩𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒌𝒂𝒎𝒂 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒄𝒐𝒂 𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕.”

He further highlighted that the Nursery House will serve as an excellent centre where students and community members can come to learn about cocoa production.

The Project Manager thanked ADRA Australia for its continued support, noting that the project is having a significant impact on the school and the wider community who will benefit from the new Centre of Excellence set up at BAC’s compound.

𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦

17/12/2025

𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 (𝗢𝗔𝗚) 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗛𝗔 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀.

The Office of the Auditor General,is seeking legal clarification over the National Hosting Authority’s expenditure and procurement activities for the Pacific Games in 2023.

This intention has been conveyed to the Hon Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele at a meeting recently held at the Office of the Prime Minister.

Auditor General, Mr. David Dennis, Deputy Auditor General, Mr. Vincent Misi and contract auditors KPMG Fiji Partners Mr. Anare Manulevu and Mr. Sharvek Naidu, met with the Honorable Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele and Chairman of the National Hosting Authority (NHA) Sir Dr Jimmie Rodgers at the Prime Minister’s Office, recently
to provide an update on the audits of the Pacific Games.

At the meeting, the Auditor General, KPMG Fiji and the Prime Minister reviewed the progress of the audit into the 2023 Pacific Games. Prime Minister Manele welcomed the progress of the audit and the OAG’s intention to seek legal clarification.

“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑴𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒔 𝑰 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒔𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅,” said Prime Minister Manele.

The Chairman of the National Hosting Authority, and Secretary to the Prime Minister Special Duties, Sir Dr Jimmie Rodgers, also welcomed the intention to seek legal clarification.

Meanwhile, the OAG and KPMG Fiji both expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for supporting and welcoming the audit process and initiatives taken. Auditor General Mr. David Dennis emphasized the importance of completing the audits.

“𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔. 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑵𝑯𝑨’𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅.”

“𝑾𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝑳𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒍, 𝑴𝒓 𝑮𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒍 𝑺𝒖𝒓𝒊, 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍, 𝑴𝒓 𝑺𝒖𝒓𝒊 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝑨𝒕𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝑨𝑮. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒕𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝑩𝒐𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝑯𝑨, 𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏,
said Auditor General Mr. Dennis.

𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦

16/12/2025

𝗔𝗜𝗠-𝗡 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗮𝘂𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

The Agriculture Investment for Market and Nutrition (AIM-N) Project National Steering Committee (NSC) yesterday successfully held its inaugural meeting.

The meeting was chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) Permanent Secretary and NSC Chairman, Dr Samson Viulu.

Key discussions focused on the AIM-N project’s strategic direction, the NSC’s oversight role in ensuring effective implementation, endorsement of terms of references for the NSC, review and approval of the Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWPB) for 2026, validation of selection criteria to be used for selecting project recipients in the three provinces and the project’s decision-making processes.

The NSC comprises representatives from government ministries, donor partners, the private sector, civil society organisations, academia and research institutions, as well as Provincial Secretaries from Western, Choiseul and Isabel provinces.

The six-year AIM-N project has a total budget of USD 19 million dollars, funded through a combination of loan and grant financing from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP).

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock is the key implementing agency for the project.
Following the meeting, Dr Viulu described the inaugural session as successful.

“𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕, 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅,” he said.

AIM-N Project Manager, Ms Samantha Maeke, described the inaugural NSC meeting as a major milestone for the project.

“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒔 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒋𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝑰𝑴𝑵 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕.𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕, 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓, 𝒄𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒍 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔.𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒆’𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍-𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑾𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏, 𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒖𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰𝒔𝒂𝒃𝒆𝒍 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔,” she said.

Ms Maeke added that one of the core functions of the NSC is to approve key project documents.

“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒌𝒆𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕, 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒖𝒅𝒈𝒆𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝑵𝑺𝑪 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒍. 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒍, 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅. 𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 2026 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒖𝒅𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅,” she said.

Isabel Province Supervising Provincial Secretary, Mr Rex Manase, said the province looks forward to the project’s implementation.

“𝑨𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕. 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔, 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝑰𝒔𝒂𝒃𝒆𝒍 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆,” he said.

Choiseul Province Provincial Secretary, Mr Geoffrey Pakipota, thanked MAL for convening the meeting and selecting Choiseul Province as a project site.

“𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝑴𝑨𝑳 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔. 𝑨𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒃𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚, 𝒚𝒆𝒕 𝒅𝒖𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒖𝒍, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒋𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏,” he said.

Western Province Provincial Secretary, Mr Patrick Toiraena, welcomed the project, noting the challenges faced by the province’s agriculture sector.

“𝑾𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝑰𝑴-𝑵 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒅𝒅 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏. 𝑳𝒐𝒈𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒓𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒐𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒏-𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆,” he said.

The AIM-N project targets 65 rural communities, schools and organizations is expected to benefit over 18,000 people, with women accounting for 50 percent of beneficiaries and youth 20 percent.
The project aims to improve nutrition and food security, reduce poverty in rural areas, and build resilient farming systems by strengthening and empowering indigenous traditional farming practices.

The NSC meets twice annually. The next NSC meeting is tentatively scheduled to be held in Choiseul Province in 2026.

Provinces not included in the AIM-N project are covered under other projects such as the World Bank funded SIART project that is currently carried out by the ministry.

𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦

16/12/2025

𝗢𝗔𝗖𝗣𝗦 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝟭𝟮𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Hon. Peter Shanel Agovaka, has closed the 120th Session of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Council of Ministers with a strong call for Member States to translate reform commitments into measurable action and restore the Organisation’s credibility through delivery.

“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝑨𝑪𝑷𝑺 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏,” Minister Agovaka said in his closing remarks.

“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑶𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏.”

Presiding in his capacity as President-in-Office of the OACPS Council of Ministers, Minister Agovaka thanked delegations for the spirit of responsibility, unity and solidarity demonstrated throughout the three-day meeting.

The session brought together Ministers and senior representatives from across the OACPS membership to assess progress and chart a clear path forward for the Organisation’s renewal agenda.

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

Ministers provided firm direction to accelerate the OACPS reform and renewal agenda, including:

●𝑫𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒂 𝑨𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, and strengthening joint engagement with the European Union through the Agreement’s institutional frameworks;

●𝑬𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚, including improved discipline in the timely payment of Member State contributions and practical measures to stabilise the Secretariat’s operations and reform programme;

●𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒚-𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍’𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎 𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂, including restructuring and results-focused delivery; and

●𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 11𝒕𝒉 𝑶𝑨𝑪𝑷𝑺 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕
, to be held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in March 2026, with emphasis on inclusivity, resource mobilisation, and ensuring Leaders convene to endorse concrete solutions.

Minister Agovaka urged Member States to match the unity demonstrated in the meeting room with unity in implementation through coordinated positions, sustained political backing for the Secretariat, and concrete follow-up actions in the lead-up to the Malabo Summit.

Solomon Islands reaffirmed its full commitment to working closely with the OACPS Secretary-general, the Committee of Ambassadors, and all Member States to ensure diligent follow-up and effective implementation of the outcomes of the 120th Session of the OACPS Council of Ministers.

𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦

15/12/2025

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝟳

15/12/2025

𝗖𝗘𝗠𝗔 𝗕𝗢𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗠𝗥.𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗡 𝗬𝗢𝗪 𝗔𝗦 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗖𝗘𝗢

The Commodities Export Marketing Authority (CEMA) Board has formally appointed Mr. Colin Yow as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CEMA, following the successful completion of the CEO recruitment process. The official contract signing took place on 12th December 2025 at the CEMA Conference Room.

This appointment marks a significant step forward as CEMA moves into a new era of transformation under the CEMA Revitalization and Recapitalisation Strategy 2021–2027 and the Strategic Transformation Plan (STP) 2026–2029.

These reforms are aimed at rebuilding CEMA into a strong, modern, and trusted institution that better serves farmers, rural communities, and the broader national economy.

The Minister for Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration (MCILI), Hon. Harry Kuma, has acknowledged and respected the independent decision made by the CEMA Board.

Minister Kuma also expressed confidence in Mr. Yow’s proven leadership record, reaffirming the Government’s commitment to policies that uplift farmers, strengthen market systems, and drive inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

Mr. Yow’s appointment comes at a pivotal time as CEMA advances into Phase 3 of its transformation program. Since the restoration of its commercial trading function in 2021, CEMA has focused on rebuilding trading operations.

The next phase will prioritise stronger financial discipline, nationwide expansion of buying networks, and accelerating value-added processing for coconut, cocoa, and other key commodities.

CEMA Board Chairman, Mr. Alpha Kimata, stated that he is confident Mr. Yow’s leadership will reposition CEMA as a key driver of national development, with a focus on:

• Empowering rural farmers through fair and competitive farm-gate prices

• Expanding export opportunities and diversifying Solomon Islands commodities

• Improving market access and strengthening pricing mechanisms for farmers and exporters

• Modernising value chains to enable greater value-added production locally
As CEO, Mr. Yow will work closely with the Government, private sector, development partners, and most importantly, farmers and rural communities.

His mandate is clear: deliver better prices, reliable buying services, and stable market access so that ordinary Solomon Islanders benefit directly from the commodities sector.

Former CEO Mr. Patterson Silioto, now appointed as Chief Operations Officer (COO), acknowledged his new role in supporting the CEO and expressed gratitude for the continued support from the Solomon Islands Government, especially MCILI, the Ministry of Finance and Treasury (MoFT), and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL).

CEMA board reaffirms its commitment to strengthening partnerships, improving governance, and ensuring that every reform translates into real, tangible benefits for farmers and the nation.

Further updates on the CEO’s onboarding and the rollout of key STP programmes will be announced in due course.

𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦

104.1 Barava Fm- Live & Love the Classics

17/12/2025

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