VIRU Harbour Community in New Georgia Island in the Western Province has been selected as a beneficiary of the $160-million Forest Value Enhancement Project for Solomon Islands Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Threshold Programme.
The multi-million-dollar project funding was announced by the Vice President of the Department of Policy and Evaluation at MCC, Ms Alicia Philips Mandaville, in the presence of the Minister of the Ministry of National Development and Planning (MNDPC), Rexon Ramofafia and his Permanent Secretary, Susan Sulu.
The announcement was made at a joint MCC-SIG Press Briefing in Honiara on Thursday.
The SI MCC Threshold programme has two components – the Forest Value Enhancement Project and the Accessing Land for Tourism Investment Facilitation Project.
“I’m truly pleased to officially announce that Viru Harbour in the Western Province was selected to participate in the forest carbon component for the MCC Solomon Islands Forest Value Enhancement project.
“This is the first site officially selected and we have anticipated announcing the project site soon,” Ms Mandaville said.
The Viru Habour Community project is an initiative to protect the Viru Habour forest from being cut down through extractive logging activities by giving locals incentives that will be both environmentally and economically beneficial to them.
Ms Mandaville said she visited the Viru Harbour Community to personally talk more with the people about the project.
The MCC is an innovative and independent United States foreign assistance agency that helps to lead the fight against global poverty through the promotion of economic growth, reduction of poverty and the strengthening of institutions.
Ms Mandaville said MCC works by building partnerships with the small number of countries who have demonstrated real commitment to democratic governance, economic freedom and to investing in their populations.
She said SBD$160-million (USD20-million) MCC Threshold programme for Solomon Islands will run over a four-year period, providing economic opportunities for Solomon Islanders who invest in sustainable forestry practices and in the tourism sector.
Minister Ramofafia, in turn, said the Solomon Islands MCC Threshold Programme started in 2019 when Solomon Islands was qualified to access funding from the programme.
He acknowledged the Board of MCC for its approval of Solomon Islands to access the programme.
Minister Ramofafia cited the programme as a partnership programme between the United States and Solomon Islands.
“On behalf of the people and government of Solomon Islands I would like to acknowledge the people and Government of the United States for this partnership threshold programme.
“The programme covers two areas based on the needs of the country and these are the forestry sector and tourism sector,” he said.
The MCC Threshold Programme for Solomon Islands aims to address the country’s biggest constraints to economic growth – ineffective management of natural resources in the forestry sector and lack of secure access to land, which has limited tourism investments.
The programme will address these constraints through the Forestry Value Enhancement Project and the Accessing Land for Tourism Investment Facilitation Project.
By LACHLAN EDDIE
Solomon Star, Honiara
