By EDDIE OSIFELO
MINISTRY of National Planning and Development Coordination will be undertaking a review of the National Development Strategy, the NDS 2016 – 2035 in early 2023.
Rexon Ramofafia confirmed this during his debate on the 2023 Appropriation Bill 2022 in Parliament on Thursday December 8.
“This review is important sir, as we have now reached a midpoint in the timeframe of implementation and it is important to take stock of how we have progressed implementation and advanced national development objectives,” he said.
More so, Ramofafia said covid 19 and the recent domestic and global disruptions have affected our context and greatly changed the environment and dynamics for national sustainable development.
“It is therefore necessary for us to take stock and recalibrate.
“I wish to thank UNDP through the Governance for Resilience Project and New Zealand for committing to support us in this important activity,” he added.
Apart from the, Solomon Islands has delayed its graduation out of Least Developed Countries category earmarked for 2024.
Ramofafia said “given the shocks that we have experienced and their implications on our ability to ensure a smooth transition and preparations to put us on a sustainable footing as we progress out of LDC category, the government has invoked with the relevant UN agency, the crisis response mechanism and requested for an assessment of the impacts of the covid pandemic, the recent riots and the flow through impacts of the Russia/Ukraine war on our ability to sustainably graduate.”
He said a United Nations Inter Agency Task Force is on the ground undertaking consultations as part of this assessment with a view to providing government with key evidence to inform how we proceed with the important issue of LDC graduation.
