BY SAMIE WAIKORI
Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele says the government continues to face long-standing challenges in renting private facilities for government offices, despite its commitment to eventually own office buildings.
Speaking at a press conference earlier this week, the Prime Minister made the remarks in response to questions from local media regarding the large amount of public funds spent on renting private office spaces.
“We’ve been struggling with this, as a number of ministries do not have their own office space or buildings.
“So, this is not a new issue. Government ministries have difficulties securing space because they do not have their own government buildings where they can carry out their work,” Manele said.
As a result, he said many ministries have relied on rented facilities over the years.
Looking ahead, Manele said the government would like to see ministries housed in their own buildings, but acknowledged that this cannot happen overnight.
“For now, our advice is for all Permanent Secretaries, as accounting officers, to negotiate for cheaper or more reasonable rental rates for private buildings,” he said.
The Prime Minister also noted that some ministries have resorted to renting residential properties that were not designed for office use, due to the shortage of available office space.
Despite the challenges, Manele said the government continues to encourage ministries to construct their own office buildings.
He cited the Ministry of Public Service as an example, noting that it built its own office building a few years ago under the initiative of the Permanent Secretary at the time. He said the project took two to three years to complete.
“We encourage ministries to do the same. Of course, it is not always easy with SIG funding, as it may take two or three annual budgets to complete an office building,” Manele said.
He added that ministries are also encouraged to seek alternative funding sources, stressing that it is always beneficial for the Solomon Islands Government to invest in its own office infrastructure.
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