Delivery in infrastructure through PCDF

BY GEORGE MANFORD

AUKI

MALAITA province since 2008/9 has delivered more than 106 complete projects of good quality through the meagre resources received from the Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF).

Premier of Malaita province Peter Channel Ramohia said, “Reading through from our daily news papers in the country, one would see the efforts that have so far been made by provinces in delivering infrastructures.”

He said this during the Malaita second appointed day celebration in Afio, Small Malaita.

From 106 projects completed by Malaita, 72 of them are all health and education infrastructures, Ramohia said.

“We do this to facilitate service delivery for our people.”

He calls on the SIDCCG government to consider by increasing the PCDF in 2019 back to SBD50 million.

This programme has been a success story for the people of Malaita in particular, and the whole of Solomon Islands in general, Ramohia revealed.

He added, by reducing the PCDF so drastically has almost killed the spirit of our people who have started to benefit from the programmes we deliver.

“Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela has promised before all my colleague premiers during the 9th Premiers conference held in Auki last December that the current SIDCCG government would continue to support the PCDF and the PGSP at the same level.

“Even though budgetary constraints are there, we would appreciate if you could maintain the level of funding for PCDF as the only capital budget for provinces or Otherwise the only thing the provinces may be doing the whole year is to pay salaries and allowances which may defeat the whole of purpose of provincial governance.”

He added to make or allow us to deliver for the national government may require the national government to resource provinces adequately.

“Now that you have stabilised the fiscal situation, I would like to appeal that you prioritise funding allocation to PCDF for the nine provinces.

“The 2018 capital development fund for the nine provinces represents less than 1.5 percent of the approved development budget.

“Whilst we implement projects, we simultaneously and create jobs.”

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