BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
PRIME Minister Jeremiah Manele has acknowledged the Western Provincial Government (WPG) and the Ward Development Committees (WDCs) for the successful hosting of the Ward Profile Validation Workshop.
Speaking during the closing of the programme, Mr Manele also commended WPG for allocating SBD$566,910 towards the data collection exercise that covered all 26 wards in the province.
He said the inputs gathered through the profiling exercise are crucial in shaping the Western Provincial Government’s 10-Year Strategic Plan 2025–2035 as well as strengthening the development profile of the 26 wards.
“I sincerely thank the Western Provincial Government and all stakeholders for your active participation and valuable contributions to the successful validation workshop.
“I also wish to recognise the Western Provincial Government for its financial commitment of SBD$566,910, which has facilitated data collection across all 26 wards, encompassing 2,208 people and 168 households,” Manele said.
Premier of Western Province, Billy Veo, acknowledged the Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening (MPGIS) and the IEDCR team for facilitating the exercise.
He said the ward profile process reflects a genuine bottom-up approach where the provincial planning division directly engaged rural communities to identify pressing development needs and service priorities.
“One thing is clear from the exercise — it reflects a truly bottom-up approach where Western Provincial Government, through its planning division, touched base with our rural populace and identified and agreed on development and service needs,” Veo said.
He added that the Ward Profile exercise is a key tool in informing the drafting of the 10-Year Strategic Plan, which outlines how the province can systematically address gaps and priorities despite limited resources.
Veo said the plan aims to guide Western Province toward becoming an economically vibrant, fair, and sustainable province, while also improving the livelihood of its people.
“Under the 10-Year Strategic Plan 2025–2035, as a government, we pledge to develop Western Province into a province that is economically vibrant, fair and sustainable, and at the same time socially advancing the livelihood of our people—drawing on our past experience to navigate the challenges ahead,” he said.
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