THE 150 constituency officers of the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) are ready to discharge their duties and serve our people as the ministry now preparing to rollout the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) program 2024.
This followed the successful recruitment process and induction training conducted by MRD in recent months in compliance with the gazetted CDF Act 2023 requirements.
The recruitment and induction activities were part of the process requirements of the new CDF Act, to support the implementation of development initiatives under the CDF program across Solomon Islands in partnership with all stakeholders.
The CDF program for this financial year was relatively delayed because the ministry has to put in place administrative systems and processes according to the new CDF Act 2023.
The new Act came into effect this year 2024 after the Minister for Rural Development approved and gazetted its commencement in late 2023. MRD therefore calls for understanding from constituents to be patient with their Members of Parliament and the ministry as due processes are being facilitated.
The MRD hopes to start delivering the program this month and later this year before the financial year closes in December.
Now that we have a new CDF Act, all processes for administering the fund including procurement processes must now comply with new CDF Act together with other provisions of the Public Financial Management Act (PFMA) 2013.
According to the CDF Act 2023, the following requirements has to be met and completed to qualify a constituency to apply for funding support under the CDF program. These are;
1. Recruitment of Constituency officers which include Constituency Development Officers (CDOs), Constituency Project Officers (CPOs) and Constituency Accountant Officers (CAOs) by the Ministry of Public Service (MPS) through MRD.
2. Appointment of Constituency Development Committees (CDCs) – respective Members of Parliament are required to submit an endorsement of at least five names of committee members to the Permanent Secretary of MRD for appointment.
3. Development plan – each constituency are required to submit their four-year development plan to the ministry for final approval and financing under the CDF allocation for each constituency.
4. Constituency office – each constituency must have an office where it is convenient.
5. Constituency account – unlike in the past, constituency accounts will no longer be signed by Members of Parliament but by the accountable and accounting officers.
MRD would like to inform the public that the above mandatory requirements and processes are almost completed and which will pave the way forward for the program to be initiated.
Meanwhile, the induction training held in August was an important priority task of the ministry as it introduced officers to the MRD’s 2024 work priorities, new CDF Act 2023 requirements, key reforms, reinforcing CDF minimum requirements, particularly; budgeting, SIG procurement processes, acquittals, reporting and 2024 annual work plans.
It also helped officers to understand their key mandates, roles and responsibilities for effective delivery of their respective constituency priorities in compliance to the CDF Act 2023.
In her remarks to officially close the four days induction, MRD Deputy Secretary Corporate (DSC), Constance Wane thanked the officers for their patience, commitment and engagement which manifested in the training’s success.
She restated that the overarching goal of the induction training was to orientate constituency officers on the legal requirements and parameters of the new CDF Act 2023 and its general application.
“This is inclusive of, awaring officers on their roles and duties as required under the new Act and assist them to understand the roles and functions of mandated institutions established under the CDF Act such as the Constituency Development Committee (CDC).
“Officers were also socialized on the requirements of Solomon Islands Constituency Development Policy (SICDP) 2023-2032 and the draft Constituency Development Growth Centre (CDGC) policy as its sub-policy to advancing decentralization initiatives through CDF,” Ms Wane said.
Officers were also informed on the overall mandates and functions of the ministry and how their roles and functions linked with that of the ministry and also introduced to the new planning and budgeting processes and templates as provided for under the draft CDF Regulations which is currently undergoing consultation.
Ms Wane encouraged officers to have a sense of ownership towards enforcing the requirements of the CDF Act 2023.
“I must emphases here that the ministry alone cannot do everything, we need the collaborative support and effort from all of the key stakeholders required under the act, to actively participate in discharging their respective roles according to the CDF Act 2023 legal requirements,” she said.
Going forward, Ms Wane assured that the “ministry is committed towards strengthening the capacities of our institutions and to provide trainings for constituency officers and CDC members in the medium and longer term, so that they are properly equipped with the relevant knowledge and skills set, to enable them to efficiently discharge their roles and duties,” Ms Wane said.
Constituency officers expressed profound gratitude to the ministry for facilitating the training which they said will certainly prepare them to take up the new challenge as officers to serve our people and support the implementation of CDF across the breadth of Solomon Islands.
They also thanked MRD for the presentations and information shared throughout the training and pledged to deliver programs supported by the Solomon Islands Government under the CDF programme to improve our rural people social and economic livelihood.
They emphasised that as constituency officers, the journey ahead would not be easy but challenging adding that they are committed to serve the (our) government and ensures services are delivered to help our rural people improve their livelihoods.
CDF is a program of the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) administered by MRD and is implemented through the 50 constituencies in the country purposely to improve the social and economic livelihoods of all Solomon Islanders.
MRD’s vision is to ensure all rural Solomon Islanders become meaningfully participate in development activities to improve their social and economic livelihood.
