By CHRIS ALEX

In the National Referral Hospital (NRH), where urgency meets empathy, a quiet revolution is unfolding under the leadership of Dr Janella Solomon, the first woman in many years to serve as Medical Superintendent of the country’s largest hospital.

Appointed in 2021, Ms Solomon’s rise to the top clinical leadership role is not just a personal achievement, but a powerful symbol of transformation in Solomon Islands’ healthcare system.

Of Guadalcanal and Western Province heritage, her journey began far from the bright lights of the capital, rooted in the rural community of Kukundu on Kolombangara Island.

Her childhood, spent between the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, taught her resilience, adaptability and an unwavering commitment to service qualities that now define her leadership.

Solomon’s medical career began in 2009 at Atoifi Adventist Hospital, followed by several years at Kilufi Hospital in Malaita.

These early postings in remote areas, often under challenging conditions, shaped her passion for equitable healthcare and community-led service.

Determined to specialise in paediatrics, she rose through the ranks at NRH, serving as Senior Paediatric Registrar (2013–2017) and becoming a full paediatrician in 2018.

Her academic path includes a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Papua New Guinea, a Master’s and Diploma in Child Health, and an International Postgraduate Diploma in Child Health from the University of Sydney.

Beyond the hospital walls, Solomon is a passionate educator. She has mentored countless young doctors and nurses, coordinated training programs with Solomon Islands National University (SINU) and collaborated with institutions such as the University of Sydney and Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital.

Between 2014 and 2021, she played a key role in medical internship training and capacity building across the region.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she led the NRH COVID-19 Isolation Ward and stepped in as Supervising Medical Superintendent, helping to steer the hospital through one of its most demanding public health challenges.

Yet, her path to leadership has not been without its struggles. In a healthcare system where women make up the majority of the workforce but remain underrepresented in leadership, Solomon has had to confront and overcome deeply entrenched norms and stereotypes. She did so not with confrontation, but with consistency, excellence and quiet courage.

Now, as she leads with vision and humility, Solomon is more than a medical leader she is a beacon of hope for women and girls across Solomon Islands. Her story challenges long-held assumptions and shows that rural beginnings can be the foundation for greatness.

Solomon’s leadership is not just shaping the future of Solomon Islands healthcare it is reshaping what leadership looks like in a country where women are stepping into spaces once considered out of reach.

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By CHRIS ALEX

A landmark Post-Colloquium Learning Exchange hosted by the Pacific Women Mediators Network is underway in Honiara this week, bringing together a dynamic inter-generational group of Solomon Islands women leaders.

The event is being held in partnership with Vois Blong Mere Solomon, the Solomon Islands National Council of Women and the Young Women’s Parliamentary Group (YWPG).

The gathering serves as a key step toward developing a national women-led mediators’ network, focusing on advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and gender equality efforts in the Solomon Islands.

Participants represent a diverse cross-section of the country, including leaders from Guadalcanal, and Outer Islands, Isabel, Malaita, Western Province, Choiseul and Rennell & Bellona.

Key sessions include Legacy Mapping and in-depth discussions linking gender equality, peace, and human security priorities to local realities.

The exchange emphasises the importance of grounding national peacebuilding efforts in community experiences, giving participants the chance to share insights and strategies from their provinces.

“This is not just a meeting it’s a movement to embed women’s voices and leadership into peace and security conversations across the country,” said one organiser.

The program also delves into the regional and global frameworks shaping gender equality and peace in the Pacific. Discussions explore how national action can align with commitments such as the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Boe Declaration, the Revitalised Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration (2023), the Blue Pacific Strategy to 2050 and the Pacific Platform for Action for Gender Equality and Women’s Rights.

Participants are also exploring how these regional visions intersect with national policy commitments and international treaties, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and relevant national legislation.

As the Learning Exchange continues, the hope is to build a resilient, women-led network of mediators capable of influencing peacebuilding and policy from the ground up. Organisers and participants alike recognize this initiative as a vital contribution to creating more inclusive, secure and gender-equal communities across Solomon Islands.

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Schulte Maetoloa, owner of a successful smoked tuna business called “Gizo Smoked Tuna”, says he appreciates the government for hosting this year’s Annual National Trade Fair (ANTF).

His business aims to add value to the local yellowfin tuna catch and support rural fishermen in the Western Province.

He set up his seafood processing business in Gizo in 2023.

Participating in this year’s ANTF is an opportunity for Schulte as a provincially based businessman.

“This NTF is a nice opportunity for us, businesses and organisations to showcase products and services. I thank the government through the Ministry of Commerce for assisting us to take part in this event,” he said.

Married to a Kiribati-Solomon Islands family, Maetoloa ventured into the seafood business to utilise seafood resources, which he described as plenty in the western province.

“I decided to go into the seafood business after I noticed that there are a lot of sea resources in the western province. There are plenty. I see how their fishermen catch big tuna, good price. So, from there, I said to myself that it would be better to do downstream processing. That was the idea to come up with the business,” he said.

At the NTF, the Gizo Smoked Tuna is promoting smoked tuna as well as smoked reef fish.

Maetoloa, popularly known by his artist name, Solid-T, who is a well-known singer and songwriter, comes from a family-run butcher business, which provided him with skills in meat preparation and processing.

“It is indeed a privilege for us in the province to showcase other seafood products during this NTF as well,” said Maetoloa.

Maetoloa got assistance from government ministries such as the Ministry of Commerce to kick start his business.

Dealing with cool room facilities and freezers, electricity is said to be one of the challenges.

“We started with limited capital. Although we started slowly, I believe we will build up to where we want,” said Maetoloa, who has transitioned from his music career to establish his successful smoked tuna business.

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Elvis Butoa Jr from Gheghede village in East Central Guadalcanal is a pineapple farmer who sells his pineapples at the Honiara Central Market.

The business has allowed Butoa to support his family and community. Life’s good.

But there’s a thorn in the side which has been around and continues to challenge Butoa – the roads. Not only rural roads but Honiara’s roads as well.

Since leaving high school, 44-year-old Butoa has dedicated himself to pineapple farming.

“Many of my friends continued with their education, but for me, after I couldn’t make it to a higher level, I decided to farm pineapple. While they go to class every day, I go to the garden every day,” he told Island Sun in an exclusive interview.

This year, Butoa was fortunate to take part in the Annual Trade Fair currently underway at the FOPA Village, SINU village in East Honiara.

While the dedicated father has been enjoying his harvest and sales from his five hectares of pineapple farm, he also faced a lot of challenges.

He usually generates $2000 to $3000 per day from his sales.

“Now I have planted five hectares of a pineapple farm,” he said.

He took farming as a means of sustaining his life after graduating from high school.

“I went to my pineapple farm every morning. From six to six. I have only struggled for one year. Now I can generate 20-30 thousand,” said 49-year-old Butoa.

One of the challenges faced by Butoa is the transporting his pineapples to Honiara Central Market due to poor road conditions.

“This is a long-standing issue since the ethnic tension. It remains a challenge until today,” he said.

Low-profile vehicles are not an option as a form of transportation for many rural and local farmers, according to Mr Butoa.

“Our coming here to showcase our products was made possible with the help of the Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock (MAL). They sent us a Land Cruiser, so I was very fortunate. Thank you, government, for organising this event,” he said.

He called on their MP for East Central Guadalcanal to address the poor road conditions through the responsible ministry.

“I call on our MP Lazarus Rini, because this is what he campaigned for during the height of the National General Election,” he said.

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The Durian Tree, a special plant, was formally introduced at the national trade fair which is ongoing in Honiara.

The tree species is an exotic species, meaning it was brought from overseas.

It is a true that bears fruit and at the same time, a tree that has commercial and non-commercial purposes.

Based on the forestry record and data, this tree only grows in Malaita province Forestry Station and Kolombagara Poitete Forestry Station in Western province.

Bolea Faka Dakei, principal forester based in Poitete Forestry Station explained that from the information they have, an investor, Yang Jian Qing, who visited Poitete in the last two months, imports 1billion dollars annually.

“By looking at the sum and if local farmers are involved, there exists a huge potential to utilise the tree for money in our economy,” he said.

The Durian tree is becoming a demanding fruit tree in the Solomon Islands.

“This is according to experience. One fruit is valued at SBD$50-100, depending on its size. Its size is more like a soursop fruit but a little bigger,” said Dakei.

The Durian fruit usually grows from its stem, similar to jackfruit trees.

“It’s fruiting season in a year is from April to May and August and September. It takes five years for the Durin to fully mature. It is edible and has a unique taste or flavour. It tastes more like casted and a mixture of icing,” he said.

According to Bolea Faka Dakei the Durian tree is common in Asian countries.

“Chinese, Japanese and Korean people get used to the Durian Tree. For them, it grows naturally. For us, it is a new species,” he said.

The tree usually grows on mainland since it is not a coastal tree and grows best on slopes due to water accessibility.

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BY CHRIS ALEX

The Commodities Export Marketing Authority (CEMA) is participating in this week’s 2025 Annual National Trade Fair, the country’s premier event spotlighting national trade and development.

Representing CEMA, Ronny Donga shared insights into the organisation’s involvement and its commitment to supporting Solomon Islands’ agricultural sector.

CEMA is using the platform to promote two of its key regulated commodities coconut and cocoa highlighting both their economic importance and the need for improved quality standards across the country.

One of the main features of CEMA’s display is the standard cocoa and copra dryer, designed to educate and inspire farmers and processors on best practices in commodity drying and processing.

“We are focusing on addressing the quality deficiency in these two commodities,” said Donga.

“Our display includes detailed information on the processing, inspection and grading of cocoa and copra. This is especially vital for farmers, as learning about these standards can help them improve the quality of their produce and access better markets,” he added.

The standard dryer on display offers a hands-on opportunity for farmers and visitors to learn about modern and efficient drying techniques that contribute to higher quality products.

This initiative is part of CEMA’s ongoing efforts to uplift rural livelihoods and enhance the value of local agricultural exports.

“We are so grateful to be part of this program. It allows us to bring important information directly to the public and especially to our farmers, who stand to benefit most from adopting these improved practices,” said Donga.

CEMA’s presence at the trade fair highlights its role in promoting sustainable and quality-driven commodity export practices, ensuring Solomon Islands’ agricultural products can compete in the global market.

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