THE Caretaker Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare launched the Solomon Islands National Infrastructure Priority Pipeline (SINIPP) 2023, a document that presents a strategic vision for infrastructure development to support social and economic growth and drive progress in the nation’s development.
SINIPP 2023 represents a new way of looking at infrastructure in the Solomon Islands. It consolidates the most important nationally significant infrastructure projects and programs into a single document. The infrastructure projects have been selected and packaged to transform how Solomon Islanders live, work and thrive in the future.
In his keynote address, the Caretaker Prime Minister said, “The SINIPP 2023 identifies the most significant infrastructure programs for decades to come, consolidated into a single document.” The Prime Minister further added that the principles of connectivity, reliability, resilience, capacity and inclusion remain central to infrastructure planning and that the NIPP 2023 represents the backbone of larger infrastructure projects and programs that are needed to reach out to our rural communities where we have agricultural and resource opportunities.
“A robust process using quantitative assessments prioritized investments for both economic and social outcomes to improve Solomon Islanders’ quality of life,” he adds.
Mr Sogavare emphasized the importance of reliable transport connectivity for businesses, tourism, agriculture and access to services, stating, “Without sustained and reliable transport availability, businesses will not invest, tourists are put off visiting, produce cannot get to markets, people will not be able to get to schools and health centres.”
He acknowledged ongoing support from development partners on projects like road rehabilitation and wharf construction, while urging expanded collaboration to make infrastructure climate resilient amidst rising sea levels and extreme weather.
Major infrastructure projects and programs critical to achieving the development goals outlined in the Solomon Islands National Development Strategy (NDS) were identified and prioritized in the document. Caretaker Prime Minister stated, “ Moving forward, we need to build and sustain a more resilient ecosystem of infrastructure to achieve our development goals for our present and future generations,
Mr Sogavare called for accelerated preparation of project proposals so an incoming government post-election can quickly secure financing for the SINIPP 2023 priorities. He said some projects like road sealing could become “self-funding from economic activity
The Prime Minister concluded by urging all stakeholders to “work closely with the next government to realize the infrastructure goals in the SINIPP 2023.”
The SINIIP 2023 is prepared by the Ministry of National Planning and Development Corodination in partnerhship and close collaboration with the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID). MNPDC Caretaker Minister, Rexon Ramofafia thanked the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and other line ministries, the Pacific Regional Infrastructure Facility, the Asian Development Bank, State Owned Enterprises and other stakeholders for the partnership in the preparation of the document. Furthermore, he also thanked the Australian Government through the Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program for the provision of technical support to MNPDC in the revision of this pipeline document.
“The efforts of all of our donor and development partners, including multilateral development banks, bilateral and multilateral donors to supporting both large and small-scale infrastructure development in Solomon Islands is recognized as well with great appreciation,” he said.
