Quality infrastructures crucial for Malaita’s development

Quality and climate resilient infrastructures are crucial to boost Malaita Province’s growth and development in view of its growing population forcing mass migration to the national capital.

Caretaker Premier Martin Fini highlighted this last week during historic high level visits to Auki by delegations from the Peoples Republic of China (PRC).

During meetings with the delegations, Premier Fini said his Caretaker Government believed very much that enhanced cooperation between development partners such as China and Malaita Province through special relations will help Malaita to achieve its dream for quality infrastructures.

He said the National Government alone cannot build better infrastructures given the many sectoral demands it is facing and the only option is to seek help from development partners such as China and others willing to lift the Province from its socio-economic challenges.

Fini said China had taken the first step by funding the Auki Road Tarsealing project, which, once completed will make the Provincial Capital become an economic hub that connects the other regions of the Province.

Currently, the state of road networks in the Province are in worsening conditions, hindering service delivery, trade and most especially transport services.

“We are currently suffering from bad road and other infrastructure conditions as a result of changing weather patterns and other factors that continued to affect us,” Fini said.

Fini further highlighted that the lack of economic activities and social services in the Province continue to force Malaitans to migrate in large numbers to the national capital Honiara in search of better opportunities.

The Auki Road Tarsealing project feasibility study was successfully conducted last week by Chinese engineers in collaboration with local engineers and other key utility stakeholders following the signing of Exchange of Notes between the Chinese Embassy and the Solomon Islands Government through the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) late last year.

The study will support the design, costing, tendering and implementation of the project.

ENDS///

The Chinese Engineers in Auki

Caretaker Premier Fini