THE Ministry of Rural Development Solomon Islands (MRD) has successfully conducted an awareness session on the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) Act 2023 for East Kwaio Honiara-based constituents, Thursday last week.
The awareness coincided with the official opening of the East Kwaio Constituency’s (EKC) office at Lunga, East Honiara.
The awareness was part of the ministry’s ongoing activity to raise awareness and educate people on the new CDF law.
MRD believes that such awareness program does not only provides the right information about the new Act to our people and communities but it creates a better understanding on the constituents’ roles and responsibilities under the new legislation.
The new CDF Act 2023 was passed by Parliament on 22 December 2023 and came into commencement on the 5th of January 2024.
The Director Governance of MRD, Noel Matea who led the awareness team said that by reaching out and sharing right information to our people who are mostly the beneficiaries of this law will help them understand it and as well apply it in their association with the CDF and its work in our constituencies.
The purposes of the new CDF Act 2023 are; to strengthen good governance; to ensure improved and effective delivery mechanisms of the Constituency Development Funds and to promote equal and inclusive participation of all Solomon Islanders in development.
It was a very informative and interactive session as constituents were given the opportunity to ask questions and discuss openly with MRD on the areas which they wished to have clarifications on.
The awareness session with the EKC have clarified many misunderstandings about the Act and how it is applied.
Director Matea was able to cover various provisions of the act including appointment and role of constituency officers, constituency development plan, signatories to constituency bank accounts, constituency assets and reporting, offences and penalties, and other important provisions of the law.
Speaking on behalf of his constituents, Member of Parliament for East Kwaio Honourable Stanley Festus Sofu thanked the MRD team for the important and informative awareness program.
He said such awareness is very important as it educates our people on the new Act, offers right information about CDF and how it has been managed over the past years, and how it will be operated under the new Act going forward.
He also thanked everyone who attended the official opening of the new constituency office and also the awareness session.
Those who attended include community leaders, chiefs, church leaders and elders, women, youths, and children of East Kwaio who reside in Honiara.
MRD will continue to undertake similar awareness talks in other constituencies and communities across the country in the future.
