By RODRICK DESURI

Auki

The owner and manager of JK Enterprises in West Kwaio, Malaita Province, is urging young people in West Kwaio to plant more coconut trees.

Jimmy Kutu announced this during the official closing of the Kokonut Cup Tournament 2025.

He said that dry coconut fruit sizes have reduced, along with the number of coconuts sold to his company.

He said the small size of the fruits indicates that the coconut trees were planted in the 60s to 90s.

Thus, he calls on young people to start planting coconut trees.

He explained that the low supply of coconut fruits to his business and the small size of the fruits have affected the prizes for the Kokonut Cup Tournament.

“Happy New Year to you all! I know you might feel sad due to a few things not being organized well.

“I want to say sorry, and I know you all are very happy and enjoyed this tournament because it was organized by my family.

“I see you all have shown the spirit of sportsmanship, and it motivates us to organize more of this event next year,” he said.

He said the tournament this year was only possible due to the dry coconut fruits that people sold to them.

He encourages everyone to engage in planting and having their own coconut farms to increase production so they can improve on organising the tournament in the future.

“I encourage you to at least plant more coconut trees on your own. This is the only way it can improve our tournament in the future, and we will have good prizes,” he said.

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BY ALICE T CAMPBELL

THE Anglican Church of Melanesia (ACOM) Education Provider has released the official school fee schedule for St Stephen College Pamua for this year.

ACOM Education Secretary Desmond Waita confirmed in the ACOM Facebook page that the 2026 fee allocation features uniform rates for several grade levels.

Students in forms 1-3 will pay the same annual fee, as will those in Forms 4-5.

Waita said Form 6 remains the only level with a distinct annual rate.

To assist families with the transition, the Education Provider is allowing for an initial deposit system.

Waita confirmed that parents may pay 70 percent of the total fees upfront.

Payments and financial consultations are currently being processed at the ACOM Provincial Headquarters (PHQ) at the Mission Place.

Parents and guardians are advised to consult the ACOM education office.

Meanwhile, the fee structure is as follows:

-Forms 1 – Form 3: SBD $2,800 per annum

-Form 4 – Form 5: SBD $4,500 per annum

-Form 6: SBD $5,000 per annum

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BY RICHARD MENENOPO

Solomon Power Company Limited recently farewelled one of its valued team members in an inaugurated new year ceremony held on December 31, 2025.

After 10 years of dedicated service, Solomon Power sincerely thanked Lois Mary Tito for her service, her positive spirit, and her unwavering commitment to both customers and colleagues.

“We are truly grateful to have had Lois as part of the Solomon Power family, and her contribution will be remembered and appreciated for many years to come,” a statement from Solomon Power recently said.

Tito began her journey with Solomon Power as a Call Center Officer, becoming a familiar and trusted voice to countless customers. Throughout her career, she consistently demonstrated patience, professionalism, and a genuine commitment to service.

Over the years, she served in few other roles across the organisation. From the Call Centre, Tito moved into Customer Services Enquiries and later joined the Special Projects Team on a two-year contract as Administrator for the Tina Hydro Project. Following this, she returned to Customer Services, where she continued to serve until the end of her contract.

Tito expressed appreciation for the support, respect, and teamwork she experienced throughout her years with the company, and fondly recalled the camaraderie among colleagues—something she values deeply and will always remember.

Tito leaves her colleagues with heartfelt advice:

-Always treat customers with respect

-Remember that our work is fundamentally about serving others

-Be adaptable to change, including working with colleagues of different ages

-Respect one another and our superiors

She also shared that wherever life may take her next, she will continue to advocate for Solomon Power and speak positively about the organisation.

Tito was recruited in 2015, when Solomon Power first established its call centre and a merit-based recruitment process was undertaken for a Call Centre Officer.

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By RODRICK DESURI 

Auki 

Police in Malaita Province have thanked the public of Auki township and people across the province for their good behaviour during the Christmas and New Year celebrations. 

Malaita Provincial Police Commander, Superintendent Michael Ramosaea said this year’s festive season was much safer than previous years’. 

He said that during this festive season, Auki town and the entire Malaita Province was peaceful, though there were minor problems. 

He also acknowledged community leaders, chiefs and church elders. 

“Yes, I want to thank the public of Auki town and the people of Malaita Province as a whole for behaving well during this festive period. 

“Here in Malaita Province, it was very peaceful, though we have received minor reports from a few communities in the province.

“Also, I want to thank the community leaders, chiefs, church elders, and even the parents. They are the people who work together with us to ensure our celebrations during this festive period are safer and more peaceful,” he said.

He added that this manner shows the positive changes in the mindset of the people of Malaita.

He encouraged that this is the only way forward for Malaita Province to improve and achieve its goals.

“This is the only way forward for our province to achieve its goals. We can also develop when we work together,” he said.

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BY NED GAGAHE

Solomon Islands National University (SINU) Vice Chancellor and senior academic, Professor Transform Aqorau, has commended the Vessel Day Scheme (VDS), describing it as a “Pacific innovation that changed the game” and a strong example of regional economic self-determination.

In a widely circulated paper titled “Reclaiming Pacific Economic Independence: From Aid Reliance to Innovation,” Professor Aqorau said Pacific Island countries have already demonstrated their ability to take control of their economic destiny through home-grown solutions.

He highlighted the role of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA), which transformed the region’s tuna industry with the introduction of the Vessel Day Scheme in 2007.

“Not long ago, Pacific nations proved we can be masters of our own economic destiny.

“The PNA turned the tuna industry on its head with an ingenious creation – the Vessel Day Scheme,” Professor Aqorau said.

He said that the VDS shifted Pacific states from being passive price-takers to resource owners who control access to their tuna resources. By limiting and trading fishing days within their waters, Pacific countries were able to charge the true value of their tuna while ensuring long-term sustainability of fish stocks.

The economic impact, he said, was dramatic.

“Collectively, PNA governments saw tuna revenues increased fivefold within a decade while preserving the sustainability of stocks.

“We went from earning a pittance on foreign fishing licences to commanding hundreds of millions of dollars a year in fees,” Professor Aqorau said.

He likened the collective power of Pacific Island countries under the VDS to that of OPEC, noting that small island states effectively controlled access to one of the world’s most sought-after tuna fisheries.

“The numbers tell the story.

“Before the VDS, Pacific states together earned as little as US$60 million per year from licensing. After we united under the VDS, revenues skyrocketed.” he said.

By the mid-2010s, PNA members were earning close to US$500 million annually from purse-seine tuna fishing fees. Total licence revenue increased from about US$64 million in 2010 to approximately US$470 million by 2016.

Professor Aqorau said these revenues had made a significant difference across the region, funding schools and hospitals, paying public servants, and supporting national budgets.

“The VDS showed the world that Pacific ingenuity can deliver economic transformation on our own terms.

“When we cooperate and assert our rights, we can rewrite the rules of an industry and capture far greater value from our natural resources,” he said.

He said the success of the Vessel Day Scheme should serve as a model for future Pacific-led innovations that aim to reduce aid dependence and strengthen economic independence.

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BY JUNELYN KELLY  

Northwest Choiseul Constituency (NWCC) has invested $687,162.84 from its Constituency Development Funds (CDF) in 2025 into education supporting 358 students in their educational pursuits contributing to the country’s human resource development.

From the constituency’s 2025 budget, the funds were paid directly to educational institutions in the form of tuition fees, a statement by the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) on Monday this week said.

These supported students are undertaking studies at SINU, USP, Rural Training Centres (RTCs), and various senior high schools in Choiseul and Honiara, the MRD statement said.

Apart from the essential and social sectors, which include school fee support, the constituency office also commits ongoing support to other sectors, such as productive, resource, cultural and cross-sectoral initiatives. 

Support to the education sector is an ongoing commitment of the NWCC office under the leadership of the Member of Parliament (MP) and the Minister for Commerce, Harry Kuma, the MRD statement said. 

“Investing in our children’s education is paramount, and the constituency office under Honourable Kuma’s leadership will continue supporting this sector to ensure students excel in their education. 

“This is not the first time for the NWCC office to undertake such support; it has always been our ongoing commitment to support our constituency’s human resource development. 

“Under the strategic direction from Hon Kuma, the NWC office will continue prioritise resources for this sector,” Constituency Project Officer (CPO) Mala Poloso said.

Over the years, the NWCC office has assisted students studying at SINU, the University of the South Pacific (USP), vocational schools including, rural training centres, and other tertiary institutions in the country. 

Poloso acknowledged the national government through MRD for its unwavering commitment and support for the Constituency Development Programme, which allows constituencies to access much-needed CDF to support the various development undertakings throughout the country.

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BY NED GAGAHE

Solomon Islands National University (SINU) has made significant progress in strengthening its governance, accountability and strategic planning, according to Vice Chancellor Professor Transform Aqorau.

In his article “The State of Our University,” Professor Aqorau said the University Council has approved a number of new policies that aim to reinforce institutional systems and processes.

Among the key developments is the approval of a Private–Public Partnership (PPP) policy, which he said will pave the way for stronger collaboration with industry partners and investors.

Professor Aqorau also confirmed that SINU has addressed long-standing reporting obligations. He said the University’s Annual Reports for 2023 and 2024 have been completed and will be submitted to the Minister of Education for tabling in Parliament. Work is also underway to ensure the 2025 Annual Report is finalised by March 2026.

“These may sound like routine administrative tasks, but bringing our reports and audits up to date required considerable effort and signals a new culture of responsibility at SINU,” Professor Aqorau said.

He acknowledged the collective effort behind the progress, thanking council members, the management team and staff for their commitment and hard work.

Looking ahead, Professor Aqorau said the University’s governance reforms will be consolidated through a new Five-Year Strategic Plan, expected to be considered and adopted by Council in early 2026.

The Strategic Plan, developed by SINU staff with advisory support, including a monitoring and evaluation specialist funded by the Australian Government through DFAT, will guide the University’s growth over the next five to ten years.

Professor Aqorau said strong governance was the first of the three pillars he outlined when he assumed office as Vice-Chancellor, and he expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved so far.

“A university governed with integrity and vision is better positioned to attract donor support, form effective public-private partnerships and diversify its revenue base to reduce reliance on government funding,” he said.

He added that governance will remain the foundation on which SINU builds its future successes.

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