Finance Minister Lilo directs 15 percent export duty on alluvial and gold concentrates, including back-taxing to recover lost revenue

BY DOUGLAS VAHIA

Minister for Finance and Treasury Gordon Darcy Lilo has directed the Customs and Excise Division to immediately apply a 15 percent export duty on alluvial and gold concentrates.

Lilo’s directive locks the mining industry into standard statutory rates rather than discretionary deals which past governments have entertained, allowing individuals in power to benefit and alluvial and gold exporters evading the rightful duties.

In a Ministerial Directive issued yesterday to the Comptroller of Customs and Excise, Mr Lilo instructed the Division to ensure strict compliance with and administration of the Harmonised System (HS) 2022 tariff rates, a statement by the Government Communication Unit (GCU) yesterday said.

“I write to direct your office to comply with and strictly apply the Harmonised System (HS) 2022 tariff rates in accordance with international classification standards and the Customs and Excise Act and its associated regulations,” Lilo said.

The HS2022 framework provides updated tariff schedules that ensure consistency with global trade practices and compliance with World Customs Organisation (WCO) requirements, GCU said.

Lilo’s action is closing the loophole in the alluvial and gold panning operations which have been a controversial part to the mining industry, often under-reported and allegations of tax avoidance.

Lilo said Customs officers must apply these rates uniformly across all import and export transactions to safeguard Government revenue, enhance transparency, and facilitate trade.

The Directive confirms that the 15 percent export duty on alluvial and gold concentrates under HS2022 will apply with immediate effect.

The ministerial directive also supersedes any previous directives issued on the export of alluvial and gold concentrates.

Furthermore, the Finance Minister directed that since the gazetting of HS2022, any exports of alluvial and gold concentrates made thereafter should have been paid at the rates provided in the schedule.

Forcing the 15 percent rate via the HS 2022 ledger ensures the country captures a fair fiscal return on its non-renewable mineral resources before they leave national borders.

Lilo further directed Customs and Excise to retrospectively recover the revenue from the date of gazetting of HS2022.

The Ministry of Finance and Treasury will work closely with the Customs and Excise Division to ensure full implementation and compliance, the GCU statement said.

Photo credit: GCU

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BY RICHARD MENANOPO

Five Australian university students are working alongside the Solomon Islands National Institute of Sport (SINIS) to support local athletes through a practical sports science placement under the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan.

The Australian High Commission (AHC) announced the initiative in a recent social media post, saying the students are gaining valuable hands-on experience while contributing to the development of high-performance sport in Solomon Islands.

The students—Jean Stump, Josh Coulton, Rory McFarlane, Jacqueline Hamilton and Simone Dyer—are Exercise and Sports Science students from Macquarie University in Australia.

They are undertaking their placement at SINIS, where they are working alongside institute staff to help Solomon Islands athletes perform at their highest potential while also building their own practical experience in sports science.

The placement forms part of the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan, which supports Australian university students to study and undertake internships across countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

“The students are working alongside SINIS staff to support Solomon Islands athletes in reaching their highest potential,” the Australian High Commission said.

The High Commission said the students have appreciated the warm hospitality they have received since arriving in Solomon Islands.

“They have been grateful for the warm welcome they’ve received and have loved the opportunity to learn from and work with such talented and dedicated athletes,” the statement said.

The initiative highlights the growing partnership between Australia and Solomon Islands in sport, education and people-to-people exchanges, while providing valuable knowledge-sharing opportunities for both the visiting students and local sporting personnel.

The New Colombo Plan is an Australian Government initiative that provides opportunities for Australian university students to study, undertake internships and gain practical experience across the Indo-Pacific region.

Through partnerships with host organisations such as the Solomon Islands National Institute of Sport, the programme aims to strengthen regional ties while promoting skills exchange and professional development that benefit both participating students and local communities.

Photo credit: Australian High Commission (AHC)

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BY JOSES SAREN

Rennell and Bellona Province celebrated its 33rd anniversary and Second Appointed Day yesterday at the Town Ground Rugby Stadium in Honiara, under the theme “Embracing Reform, Unity and Progress for Rennell Bellona”.

The low-key celebration, moved to Honiara after the province’s major planned event at Tigoa was cancelled following the sinking of MV Anjeanette.

The ceremony opened with the arrival of the public and officials, receiving and garlanding of invited guests, and the escort of the Guest of Honor by the Papa traditional group.

The RSIPF and Police Band Platoon led the parade before the raising of provincial and national flags and singing of anthems.

Premier Erick Saueha welcomed the gathering on behalf of the Provincial Government and the people of Rennell and Bellona, paying tribute to the province’s founding leaders and describing the day as both a celebration and a moment of reflection on the challenges still facing the province.

He listed a string of achievements under his “Reform and Transformation Government,” including the province’s successful PCDF assessment for FY2024/25, ward grants deposited into WDC accounts, and funding secured through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, UNDP, IEDCR and UNCDF-LoCAL for education, health, fisheries and food security projects.

He also announced that Rennell Bellona Province will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hainan Province in China this year, covering scholarships, agriculture, fisheries and tourism cooperation and a gift was presented to the Chinese Embassy representative during the ceremony to mark the occasion.

Minister for Police, National Security and Correctional Services (MPNSCS), John Junior Tuhaika spoke on the province’s long-running shipping problem and said the government will get them a ship.

He said the challenges facing the province, both good and bad, rested in the hands of its own people rather than any single leader, and urged the Premier, the provincial executive and the community to work together under the GREAT Coalition government’s development agenda.

Guest of Honor and Minister for Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening (MPGIS), Alfred Lazarus Rina congratulated the province on the milestone and announced that Rennell and Bellona will receive SBD 3.6 million this year from the Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF), on top of more than SBD 12.9 million transferred to the province since the fund began.

He acknowledged the challenges raised by the Premier, including roads, airports, wharves, shipping and sports infrastructure, and called on the province to continue meeting its financial accountability requirements to retain access to the fund.

The ceremony closed with entertainment from Tamure and Papa cultural groups, a closing song performed by Avaiki Students, and a closing prayer.

From midday, the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly delivered a word of thanks and the Deputy Premier presented sports prizes, before the event wrapped up with refreshments at 1pm.

The relief vessel MV Ocean Joy was due to depart Honiara for Rennell and Bellona yesterday evening as well, carrying supplies for communities still recovering from the loss of goods and supplies from MV Anjeanette.

Island Sun reported separately on the shipment and the province’s response to the disaster.

Photo credit: Island Sun

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BY JOSES SAREN

Rennell and Bellona Province will receive SBD 3.6 million this year from the Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF).

Minister for Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening, (MPGIS), Alfred Lazarus Rina announced this at the province’s 33rd Anniversary and Second Appointed Day celebration yesterday.

Speaking at the Town Ground Rugby Stadium as Guest of Honour, Minister Rina said the increase was largely due to changes in the PCDF allocation formula and a review of the fund’s modality.

He said more than SBD 12.9 million has been transferred to Rennell and Bellona Province since the fund began, financing approximately 27 completed development projects across the province, funded through the SIG-PCDF, IEDCR-PCDF and UNCDF-LoCAL PCDF programs.

“These projects are not just statistics on paper,” Minister Rina said, describing them as improvements to essential services, community infrastructure and the province’s social and economic development.

The announcement came directly after Premier Erick Saueha used his own address to lay out a long list of unresolved infrastructure problems facing the province.

Saueha said Tigoa and Anua airports are in deteriorating state and need urgent rehabilitation to accommodate the Dash 8 aircraft, given the backlog of cancelled flights and high airfare and freight costs, and called for a feasibility study on a proposed East Rennell airport.

On wharves, he thanked the national government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for funding the Ahanga wharf on Bellona, but said the Lavagu Wharf project remains unfunded despite SIIP and DFAT having already surveyed possible sites.

He also said that roads to Lake Tegano and Lavagu Port need further maintenance while Rennell and Bellona’s shipping service — already strained before the sinking of MV Anjeanette forced the province to scale back its own anniversary celebration.

Saueha also raised the absence of a police post on Bellona and East Rennell, deteriorating schools and health facilities, the lack of sports infrastructure, and urban drift driven by residents leaving the province in search of education, healthcare and jobs.

Minister Rina acknowledged the challenges and said that connectivity remains one of the biggest obstacles to development in one of Solomon Islands’ most remote provinces, and that the loss of cargo aboard MV Anjeanette had further highlighted the vulnerability of our island communities and the urgent need for reliable shipping services.

He said the ministry will continue to work with relevant ministries, development partners and the Provincial Government to address the issues within available resources.

On the Premier’s call for greater decentralisation and revenue-sharing, Minister Rina said continued access to PCDF funding depends on the province maintaining compliance with the financial regulations approved by the Rennell and Bellona Provincial Assembly in 2018, describing accountability requirements as a reflection of good governance rather than an imposed obstacle.

“Good governance is not an obstacle to development; it is the pathway to development,” he said.

Minister Rina also announced that through the Provincial Governance Strengthening Program and other donor-funded initiatives, Rennell and Bellona Province is now fully staffed with the technical expertise needed to drive its development agenda, including planning, project implementation, monitoring, financial management and engineering services.

Photo credit: Island Sun

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BY CHARLES STENNETT

The Minister for Lands, Housing and Survey, Oliver Salopuka issued a strong call to the international community at the United Nations High-level Meeting on the Midterm Review of the New Urban Agenda, for enhanced cooperation under SDG17 in New York.

In his address, he outlined specific needs for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), including increased access to climate and urban development finance to close existing gaps, capacity building in governance, and support for nature-based solutions and resilient infrastructure.

A statement from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey said, Minister Salopuka, called for sustainable urban development and climate change and reaffirmed Solomon Islands’ dedication to the New Urban Agenda and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, noting that this shared vision is deeply embedded in the nation’s National Development Strategy 2016–2035.

He said while the Solomon Islands remains predominantly rural, critical demographic shift had taken place driven by a high population growth rate of 3 percent and a youthful demographic in which 70 percent of the population is under 29, hence, the nation experiencing rapid, unplanned urban expansion.

Mr Salopuka said this growth is most notable in Honiara and emerging provincial centers, presenting economic opportunities but is also placing immense strain on housing, infrastructure, and public services, which has led to the complex growth of informal settlements.

Compounding these urbanisation challenges is the existential threat of climate change. Minister Salopuka warned that rising sea levels, frequent coastal flooding, and extreme weather events are actively reshaping the future of the nation’s towns and threatening critical infrastructure.

“These realities reinforce the need to integrate climate resilience into every aspect of urban planning and development,” he stated.

Minister Salopuka said to manage these challenges, the government has implemented the Solomon Islands Urban Policy and aligned it with the National Disaster Management policy to construct climate and disaster-resilient towns.

These coordinated national efforts have yielded significant progress: today, more than 93 percent of Solomon Islanders in urban areas have access to improved drinking water, and over 81 percent have access to improved sanitation.

He also mentioned several transformative infrastructure investments driving the nation forward which include the Tina River Hydropower Project, which aims to provide affordable electricity and support the transition to renewable energy, and the Solomon Islands National Broadband Infrastructure Project which is currently deploying a network of 161 telecommunications towers to transform digital connectivity across the islands.

Photo credit: Ministry of Housing, Lands and Survey

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BY CHARLES STENNETT

The Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID), and its project partners have congratulated its newly appointed acting Permanent Secretary, Mike Qaqara for his appointment to the position after his swearing in at the Government House last Friday.

In a statement, the MID Minister, Ricky Fuo’o said, Mr. Qaqara’s appointment marks a seamless transition for the ministry.

“Having dedicated more than two decades to building and planning the nation’s infrastructure from the ground up, he brings an unparalleled depth of technical expertise, proven leadership, and trusted stakeholder relationships to this office.

“The Ministry stands fully united behind him, and we are confident that under his guidance, we will continue to deliver sustainable transport and infrastructure outcomes essential for driving national development and connecting communities across our islands,” said Fuo’o.

The statement said Minister Fuo’o, along with the executive team, staff, and project partner organizations of MID, wishes to congratulate Mr. Qaqara on his appointment as acting permanent secretary.

It said Mr. Qaqara assumes the role with over 25 years of professional experience in engineering, project management, transport planning, policy development, and public sector administration within the Solomon Islands government.

Mr. Qaqara, 49, from Choiseul Province, most recently served as the Deputy Secretary Technical (DST), providing strategic leadership and oversight for national transport infrastructure programs, quality assurance, operations, and donor-funded development initiatives.

A civil engineer by profession, Mr. Qaqara has successfully managed large-scale infrastructure investments funded by the Solomon Islands government and key international partners, including the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Australia, the People’s Republic of China, and New Zealand.

His project portfolio includes the Sustainable Transport Infrastructure Investment Program, the Solomon Islands Road and Aviation Project, the Greater Honiara Transport Master Plan, the Land and Maritime Connectivity Project, and the Kukum Highway Upgrading Project.

Photo credit: MID

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