BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
The Government of Japan is honoured to sign the Exchange of Notes for two new projects under Japan’s Economic and Social Development Programme.
Mr Katsumasa Maruo, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of Japan, said the above during a ceremony for the Exchange of Notes and Grant Agreement for the Economic and Social Development Programme for the Ministry of Forestry and Research and for the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology yesterday.
“Together, these initiatives represent an investment of 330 million Japanese Yen (approximately 17 million Solomon Islands Dollars). This is a significant milestone in our enduring partnership.
“First, we address Waste Management. As Honiara and Auki grow, so does the challenge of waste,” he said.
He said that rapid modernisation has created more waste than current systems can handle.
“To face this, Japan will provide essential heavy machinery—including bulldozers, backhoe loaders, and dump trucks—valued at 147 million Yen. These tools will help local councils improve waste collection and disposal, protecting both the health of your citizens and your precious marine ecosystems.
“Second, we focus on the Forestry Sector. For years, Japan has worked with the Ministry of Forestry and local communities to shift away from exporting raw logs toward sustainable management and local processing,” Katsumasa Maruo said.
He said that following the successful delivery of 67 sawmills last year and JICA’s long-standing technical support, demand for this program has grown.
He said that Japan will provide an additional 50 sawmills, valued at 183 million Yen, in response to the Solomon Islands Government’s request to empower 50 more communities to process their own timber.
He said that this protects your forests and brings direct economic benefits to the village level.
“These projects are designed to work hand-in-hand with JICA’s ongoing technical projects, such as the ‘Project for Promotion of Regional Initiatives on Solid Waste Management in Pacific Island Countries (J-PRISM) Phase 3’ and the ‘Sustainable Forest Resource Management Advisor,” he said.
He said that Japan believes that equipment is only one part of the solution and their ultimate goal is the transfer of knowledge for Solomon Islanders to gain the skills to manage their own resources independently.
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