By EDDIE OSIFELO
Solomon Islands Chambers of Commerce and Industry has come up with a Local Content Paper to guide the development in infrastructures in the country.
Chief Executive Officer, Natalina Hong explained the paper at the end of the two days’ 2021 Infrastructure Symposium at FFA recently.
Hong said SICCI is developing the paper and the outcome of this symposium is crucial to the development of the paper and for their discussion with the government.
“We the Chambers of Commerce has reached a point in its relationship with the Solomon Islands Government but also with the private sector and also with the donor partners to come together and actually seriously not just discuss but also find ways to effectively approach government in its level of now trying to understand and develop a way forward for local content.
“It is clear that there is no local content paper but the paper identified that there are some works in the level of industry, some work in the level of business, administration, medium and small enterprises that have already looked in the idea of localization or local participation,” she added.
Hong said it doesn’t mean there is a vacuum, it means there have already been some stages and platforms that have been set already out there.
“This paper begins to tell us that this is the direction we think is the best way in terms of infrastructure development and private sector to position itself so it can advocate for more local content,” she added.
SICCI said presentations and papers from contributors and panelists will be compiled and made available to the public on line or as SICCI infrastructure document and mapping of all infrastructure projects next five years.
This in turn will provide opportunities for local contractors or consultancy to gather information on opportunities on how they can be involved in major projects.
Key messages from the symposium outcome are fundamental to developing the proposals for local content to key stakeholders.
About 100 participants have participated in the Symposium organized by SICCI.
