BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
The Waisisi Palm Oil Project in West Are’Are, Malaita Province, once a driver of rural transformation, stands today as a sobering example of how development dreams can collapse into disappointment.
Launched more than a decade ago under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) the aim was to boost employment, generate cash income, and diversify Solomon Islands’ agriculture sector.
The vision was to establish a major oil palm plantation across five tribal lands in Waisisi, covering more than 2,300 hectares.
However nearly 15 years later, villagers describe Waisisi not as a thriving plantation, but as a “ghost project”.
“We were told this project would bring jobs and a new future for our children. Instead, we see bush reclaiming the land, nothing happened,” an elder told this paper.
When MAL was approached for comments, a reliable source said MAL can no longer take up any serious initiative in the Waisisi Oil Palm Development until further notice.
The spokesman did not mention and detail how the current MAL and Government would deal on that important project but said MAL Senior Management can meet on the issue of concern.
“It’s complicated as the area was surveyed as Perpetual Estate where road do not reach. The area is also located more than 400 m above sea level where oil palm cannot grow. MAL cannot take up any serious initiative until further notice.
“Millions of dollars have already been injected into the project but outcome was not encouraging. The issue is also too sensitive. Until then, the project stands as a cautionary tale. A vision that began with bold ambition, but now remains in Malaita’s collective memory as a ghost of what might have been,” the officer said.
In 2016, consultants completed a land-suitability assessment, mapping out plots and smallholder blocks.
While thousands of oil palm seedlings were distributed in 2017, the project was partially shifted to the nearby Wairokai Basin due to land disputes.
However, the decision sparked anger among landowning groups who had registered their lands for Waisisi.
“Waisisi became a classic case of how big promises and big money can disappear without accountability,” said a Honiara-based retired government officer.
The Government at that time announced and promised 50,000 seedlings for Malaita’s palm oil estates, between Aluta and Waisisi.
In 2020, the project was shocked by scandal when a senior officer overseeing Waisisi–Wairokai was convicted of official corruption.
Court records revealed that more than SBD 4 million kept for the project between 2012 and 2017 had been misused plus allegations of bribery attempts during audits.
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