A WIDE consultation for a mega palm oil project earmarked for Oula community in Southeast Vella Constituency in Western Province is scheduled for next week.
The consultation will be held with the landowners and tribes who own the land where the project will be undertaken.
If the consultation gets positive response, the project is expected to commence soon.
As part of the consultation a team from the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration including the Minister who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency Fredrick Kologeto will visit the community next week.
The MP last week also visited parts of his constituency.
Part of the visit allowed him to visit the ongoing project of the new Economic Growth Centre at the Vella Development Cooperation (VDC) in Vonunu opposite Liapari Island.
MP Kologeto also visited other projects funded by tax payers under his constituency which includes two new health clinics and other projects that are in progress.
During last week’s tour, he also highlighted the importance for the landowners to allow their lands to interested investors for further developments that will bring tangible and worthwhile benefits for their future generation.
MP Kologeto also shared his vision and plans to establish a mega palm oil project in Oula.
He pointed that such development will help and benefit the local people.
“We have our people scattered everywhere in the other provinces, some are struggling, and finding ways to earn their means, while we are forgetting our own islands that is rich in resources naturally from sea to land,” he said.
Kologeto therefore, appealed to the Vella people to make use of their land, their soil and their island for the benefit of the resource owners.
“Thus, the common understanding and cooperation from each individual from families, communities, leaders, provincial government and national government is much needed.
”This mega palm oil project will be a game changer for the constituency that will transform the perspective of how Vella is advancing and progressing to a whole new level,” he said.
He said, construction of new roads and bridges will soon get underway.
Last week scoping and assessment were conducted by the engineers from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development (MID).
“The proposed new bridges and roads will connect the South Vella and North Vella Constituency and make land transportation much easier,” he added.
He said these projects and development can only be achieved through unity, team work and mutual cooperation.
Meanwhile, the establishment of the economic growth centre in Southeast Vella Constituency is progressing.
The centre will have a new Police Post, Police Staff houses, copra storage room, Commodities Export Marketing Authority (CEMA) buying centre and fisheries centre.
These facilities have also been completed.
Work on other centres and office space for a bank, tourism site, SINU DLF Space and others are still to commence.
By ULUTAH GINA
Gizo NEWS BUREAU
