By Loretta B Manele

The Development Bank of Solomon Islands (DBSI) has loaned South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) 5 million SBD dollars to assist women.

Stanley Peter Hauae, Acting CEO of DBSI told the media that there has been a lot of advocacies for women and that is why they want to go this far.

“Our focus is mainly on women, we want to assist women in terms of lending so that’s why we are here”

He said the proposal went as far to the board level and part of their mandate is to reach out to women in the rural areas.

Hauae expressed that SPBD is an intermediary which they want to help because they focus on womens’group in the informal sector.

“We don’t have the logistics to do this whereas SPBD has people who can reach out to the women in the rural areas”

He mentioned that they have also received funding from other specific line of ministries and part of their mandate is to reach out to the women in the rural areas as well.

“We have not utilized that funding until now with SPBD because they are the best people who understand the market and are able to reach women in the rural areas”

SPBD general manager in Solomon Islands, Raymond McCarthy said in a way both parties are kind of meeting each other’s mission.

“Complete each other’s mission because that’s one of the key things that serving the informal sector is all about as well”

Hauae said they have given SPBD the first dispersion of 3 million and the remaining will be given during the first quarter of 2025.