BY RODRICK DESURI 

AUKI 

The preparation for the nationwide event of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) in the country is drawing near with only 11 days to go. 

In Malaita Province, preparations have been going well and are nearing completion at the two venues, Routa and Anopala villages in South Malaita. 

The event will take place from July 8 to 18, 2026. 

According to a statement from South Malaita Adventist’s online page, the Seventh-day Adventist church members continue to gather together in fellowship, worship, and prayer to prepare and strengthen their faith as they await the actual event. 

“The special service is dedicated to God as we prepare our hearts and communities for the upcoming Solomon for Christ 2026 campaign in July.

“At Anopala, we are blessed to have Pastor Levi Hou worshipping alongside the members, encouraging everyone to remain faithful and united in God’s mission.

“From elders to children, the church family came together with one purpose—to seek God’s blessing and prepare for the great harvest of souls ahead.

“United in Faith, Preparing for Mission,” the statement said.

The Solomon Islands for Christ program is an initiative that will bring together churches, communities, and stakeholders across the country, with a strong focus on peace-building, spiritual renewal, and addressing key social challenges, including the growing burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). 

This event is supported by the previous government led by former PM Jeremiah Manele when church pastors visited him in April of this year. 

This paper understands that Seven-day church members in other provinces in the country will host the same event on the same date.

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BY RODRICK DESURI 

AUKI

Premier of Malaita Province, Elijah Asilau’a, says Prime Minister Matthew Wale’s courtesy visit over weekend sets a new beginning between the province and the government. 

Premier Asilau’a made this statement when Wale and his delegation visited the Malaita Provincial Government on Saturday, June 19, at the Malaita Provincial Chamber at Green House. 

Premier Asilau’a said the visit was welcomed as it was necessary for both governments to align and work together.

He said that it is very significant for the development progress of Malaita Province and the future of the country. 

“Let today mark a new beginning. A beginning of restored relationships, a beginning of a stronger partnership, and a beginning of walking together under God’s purpose.

“As a Provincial Government, we commit ourselves to work and stand together with you. Not to divide us, but in unity for nation building,” he said. 

During the visit, both governments also reconciled the political differences from the times of the previous government. 

“In the past, we have not fully walked together. We can’t deny it because there have been gaps in understanding, coordination, and cooperation.

“But today, we choose a better way. Today, we choose unity,” he said.

Asilau’a encouraged Prime Minister Wale to lead the country with great responsibility and according to God’s will. 

He said the Prime Minister’s leadership was not only political, but it was God’s call. 

“Prime Minister Wale, you are a son of Malaita. You are connected to this spiritual heritage. Therefore, your leadership is not only political, but it is also a calling.

“Today, we encourage you to lead this country with great responsibility, humility, and boldness. Uphold the Word of God, lead according to His will, and govern with righteousness, justice, and truth,” he said.

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BY TONY IROGA

A copra farmer from Ugi Island has praised the Commodity Export and Marketing Authority (CEMA) for making it easier for rural farmers to sell their produce and earn income without the burden of costly transportation.

Prince, a CEMA customer from Ugi Islands in Makira-Ulawa Province, said the presence of CEMA buying agents in the province has significantly improved the livelihoods of local copra farmers.

“As a farmer, I find life much easier because we can sell our copra directly to CEMA agents here in the province,” Prince said.

“Transport is one of our biggest challenges, and we are very fortunate to have CEMA agents operating close to us.”

He explained that travelling to Honiara to sell copra is expensive and often beyond the financial means of many rural farmers.

“Selling copra to CEMA here is much cheaper than transporting it to Honiara,” he said.

“The freight costs are very high, so having CEMA agents here saves us a lot of money and effort.”

Prince said CEMA’s presence in rural communities has strengthened connections with farmers and created a more accessible market for copra producers across the province.

“I fully support the work CEMA is doing, especially by establishing buying agents in the provinces where farmers live and work,” he said.

“This initiative has helped many of us who face transport difficulties because of our remote locations.”

According to Prince, another major benefit of selling to CEMA agents is the quick payment process, which allows farmers to meet their household needs without delay.

“When we sell our copra to CEMA agents, we receive cash quickly, which helps support our families and cover our daily needs,” he said.

Prince also encourages farmers throughout the country to take advantage of the opportunities provided by CEMA.

“My message to all farmers in Solomon Islands is to support CEMA by selling your copra to them,” he said.

“They are already working with us in the provinces, and we should continue building a strong partnership with them.”

Photo: Supplied

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BY NED GAGAHE

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) plans to roll out Community Participatory Audits (CPA) to all 50 constituencies across the country in an effort to strengthen transparency, accountability and public confidence in the management of Constituency Development Funds (CDF).

Speaking at the launch of the Community Participatory Audit initiative at Heritage Park Hotel yesterday, Auditor General David Dennis said the programme represents a new approach to auditing public funds by directly involving citizens and civil society organisations in the audit process.

“Our vision is to roll this out to all 50 constituencies across the Solomon Islands in the coming years,” Mr Dennis said.

“But we cannot do this alone. We will need more capacity and more resources to deliver this to everyone. We need the continued support of our government, our donors and everyone in the room today.”

Mr Dennis said the OAG’s mandate to audit CDF is grounded in the Constitution and further strengthened under the Constituency Development Funds Act 2023, which explicitly names the Auditor General as the external auditor of the fund.

With CDF now accounting for approximately $250 million annually, or about six percent of the national budget, Mr Dennis said effective oversight has become both a constitutional and developmental necessity.

The CPA model allows community members to work alongside auditors to verify whether projects funded through CDF have actually been delivered.

“While a traditional auditor might look at a receipt in an office, a community participatory audit allows constituents to verify if the school building was actually built, if the water tank exists, or if supplies reached the intended recipients,” he said.

Mr Dennis said the approach was inspired by successful citizen-participatory audit programmes in the Philippines and has been adapted to suit Solomon Islands’ context with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank.

The audits focus on compliance with the CDF Act 2023, procurement practices at constituency level and verification that funds are used for their intended purposes.

He said the initiative responds to growing public concerns over the management of CDF funds.

According to findings from the National Statistics Office in 2019, about 64.2 percent of Solomon Islanders do not believe CDF has had a positive impact on their communities.

“The public perception is one of unfair distribution, abuse of funds and a lack of good governance,” Mr Dennis said.

He added that traditional audits often found constituency reporting to be unreliable or outdated, limiting its usefulness to the public.

Photo credit: Ned Gagahe

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BY NED GAGAHE

The World Bank has thrown its support behind the Office of the Auditor General’s (OAG) new Community Participatory Audit (CPA) initiative, describing it as a significant step forward for accountability and governance in Solomon Islands.

Speaking at the launch of the initiative at Heritage Park Hotel yesterday, World Bank representative Alison Ofotalau said the programme goes beyond being a new audit methodology and represents a stronger commitment to public accountability.

“Today marks a genuinely significant step for accountability and governance in Solomon Islands,” Ms Ofotalau said.

“The launch of the Community Participatory Audit is not simply a new audit methodology. It is a signal that public funds belong to the public and that communities have the right to understand and examine how these funds are used.”

She said constituency development funds reach directly into communities, making transparency and citizen participation essential to ensuring that public resources are used effectively.

According to Ms Ofotalau, the initiative strengthens the connection between government accountability and service delivery by allowing communities to play a more active role in the audit process.

The World Bank is supporting the initiative through its Building Capacity in Statistics and Audit (CAPSA) Project, which has partnered with the OAG since 2022 to strengthen audit quality, modernise audit methods and improve communication of audit findings.

Ms Ofotalau said a mid-term review of the CAPSA Project conducted earlier this year confirmed that the OAG had made significant progress in several key areas.

These include reducing the statutory audit backlog, integrating modern information technology audit tools and moving towards full compliance with international standards for supreme audit institutions.

She described the Community Participatory Audit approach, developed by the OAG’s performance audit team, as one of the most innovative outcomes of the partnership.

“The community participatory audit approach pioneered by the OAG’s performance audit team is one of the most innovative elements of this partnership, translating technical audit work into citizen-friendly insights that communities can act on,” she said.

Ms Ofotalau said the pilot audit undertaken in North Guadalcanal Constituency demonstrates the potential of the approach to empower communities and strengthen oversight of public spending.

“It shows that auditing can move beyond compliance reports that are read only by specialists to becoming a tool that communities, civil society, women’s groups and youth can use to hold their leaders accountable,” she said.

The World Bank representative said her organisation looks forward to the release of the pilot audit findings and remains committed to support the expansion of the programme to more constituencies and thematic areas in the future.

She also encouraged Constituency Development Officers (CDOs) to cooperate fully with the audit process and urges civil society organisations and communities to actively participate.

“Your participation is not just welcome, it is essential,” she said.

“The community participatory audit only fulfils its purpose if communities engage, raise questions and demand that recommendations are implemented.”

Ms Ofotalau congratulated the Auditor General and his team for introducing the initiative and described the launch as an important milestone to strengthen public accountability in Solomon Islands.

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BY RODRICK DESURI 

Auki 

Residents of Malu’u, North Malaita, are facing the impacts of water shortage after a few weeks without any significant rainfall.

Reports say almost all the residents of Malu’u area have to walk long distances to collect water for drinking, washing and bathing.

The report said the small amount of rainfall experienced last week and over the weekend did not fill their water storage.

Residents fear that their situation could become worse if the dry condition continues.

Stephen Tolinao, a Malu’u resident said a large number of residents who are not connected to the Malu’u water supply have to walk to Manakwai to get water.

“Here in the Malu’u area, those who are not connected to the water supply have to walk to Manakwai to get water for daily needs. For those who are now connected to the water supply, they are starting to experience less pressure and sometimes intermittent access to water,” he said. 

“The situation may be getting worse if there is no rainfall next month.”

Meanwhile, in a few communities in Langalanga Lagoon, reports said residents are getting water from wells and boreholes for drinking. 

“We are now getting water from wells and boreholes because our water tanks were emptied a few weeks ago. So, for drinking, we take water from wells and boreholes and have to strain it before we consume it,” one of the Lalana residents said. 

He said the situation could become very difficult for them in the future if the country continues to experience the drought season. 

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