THE Solomon Islands Government, through the Ministry of National Planning and Development Coordination and the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources has hosted a fruitful roundtable dialogue with development partners to accelerate progress on the Bina Harbour Tuna Processing Plant project, a key initiative to boost economic transformation in the country.
Ministry of National Planning and Development Coordination (MNPDC) and Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) Ministers, Hon. Rexon Ramofafia and Hon. Nestor Giro addressed the dialogue in Honiara on Wednesday 9 October.
The Ministers acknowledged the development partners who have supported the project throughout its journey and noted that it has now reached the financing stage. They emphasized the need for continued engagement from partners to advance the project and move it forward.
“We now have a fully functioning Bina Harbour Project Office, generously supported by New Zealand, which is managing land and maritime surveys and geotechnical investigations, port design, utility supply investigations, quantity survey, and costing, and importantly, through the Bina Region Arrangements for Governance office, has supported Bina land owners with registering their land for development,” Fisheries Minister Hon. Giro said.
He said the project has been steady, with a careful, well-considered approach to each element to ensure it can be successfully implemented.
The Minister also informed that the operation of the Bina Harbour Plant is forecast to add around USD 400 million over 15 years in economic benefits from the estimated cash flows to the government, salaried workers, the processing plant operator, and the fishing vessel operating company.
“The Bina Harbour development will require major investment to the tune of US$200 million for the port facility, associated infrastructure, and utilities. It is a genuine opportunity for a Public Private Partnership to establish a tuna processing operation that will bring major generational benefits to our national economy and social well-being,” Hon. Giro adds.
Minister Ramofafia of MNPDC pointed out that Solomon Islands needs significant progress to achieve the National Development Strategy (NDS) 2016-2035 and also meet the target to achieve various Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
“The Bina Harbour Tuna Processing Plant is central to this effort, offering the country a pathway to correct its economic trajectory and support its graduation from Least Developed Country status,” the minister said.
The Bina Harbour Project is seen as a crucial component of the government’s economic transformation strategy. The project will harness the Solomon Islands’ only sustainably managed renewable resource, tuna, and create at least 1,600 direct jobs—more than any development project since the country gained independence 45 years ago.
Minister Ramofafia stressed that this investment would directly address the persistent lack of employment opportunities on Malaita, one of the root causes of past civil unrest.
He assured that the government has made significant progress in ensuring land stability for Bina Harbour.
“The MFMR, through extensive and respectful community engagement, has secured the necessary land registrations for the development, ensuring local landowners benefit from the project,” Ramofafia said.
The government, in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and New Zealand, has identified the infrastructure and utilities required to support the project. Now, the project is entering the financing stage, and Minister Ramofafia called on development partners to support the multimillion-dollar initiative.
“This investment cannot be delayed,” he urged, highlighting efforts to package infrastructure components for consideration by individual development partners. We invite our development partners and stakeholders to step forward and contribute to making this project a reality,” concluded Minister Ramofafia.
Development Partners that attended the roundtable dialogue included representatives from New Zealand, the People’s Republic of China, Australia, USA, United Kingdom, Japan, JICA, the Bina Harbour Project Office, as well as MFMR, MNPDC and MOFT officials.
Source: MNPDC Press Release
