THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing Solomon Islands Government with the second tranche of financing for its Land and Maritime Connectivity Project totalling $53 million.
The project is strengthening transport infrastructure in Solomon Islands.
The Land and Maritime Connectivity Project was approved by the ADB Board in June 2021 to be funded by a concessional loan of $74.4 million and a grant of $74.5 million.
The grant is sourced from ADB, which provides grants to its poorest and most vulnerable developing member countries.
Solomon Islands Government is contributing the remaining $21.8 million of the project’s overall cost of almost $171 million. The project is a 10-year multi-tranche financing facility, enabling ADB’s long-term support to the country’s transport sector.
“Developing a sustainable transport network will help drive robust socioeconomic growth in Solomon Islands. The project will better connect people in rural and remote areas to markets, health, and education services,” ADB Senior Transport Specialist Rika Idei said.
Tranche 2 will continue the rehabilitation and climate-proofing of road transport infrastructure from the first tranche. Works on the remaining 26 kilometers of the Henderson–Mberande road section have commenced, while the rehabilitation of the 1.7 km Honiara City Council–Ground section and the upgrading of the 3.1 km Town Ground–White River section are ongoing.
Both are critical road links on Guadalcanal Island. Climate resilience features are integrated into the road design to ensure all-year access along the east–west corridor in the island. After the completion of civil work, a 5-year performance-based maintenance will follow to sustain road quality and endurance.
Maritime transport infrastructure will be improved in the second tranche, with work beginning for the provincial wharves under the project in Kirakira and work in Ahanga expected to start soon. Marketplaces and passenger buildings will be included as part of the provincial wharves.
Support for institutional improvement is a key element of the project, particularly in the second tranche. Part of the support is to develop a gender strategy to support women in technical and leadership roles in the Ministry of Infrastructure Development.
