Small Malaita Constituency Launches Phase 2 Of Its Road Infrastructure Program
This milestone was made possible through the active involvement of the Member of Parliament for SMC, Honourable Rick Nelson Houenipwela.
Constituency Development Officer (CDO) Brown Honimae explained that the original Phase 2 road project, which aimed to connect Rorongo to Tawaro in Asimeuri Ward, was not completed due to land issues. This is now focused on a new road segment from Mwenio'a to Ro'one, marking the second attempt to develop infrastructure in Asimeuri Ward.
Mr. Honimae highlighted that the event was attended by key stakeholders, including MP Hon. Rick Hou, The Right Reverend Rickson Maomaoru, Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Malaita and Sikaiana (DOSMS), chiefs, church leaders, community representatives, landowning groups, resource owners, and constituents from Asimae and Asimeuri Wards.
The ceremony commenced with the escorting of Hon. Rick Hou, Bishop Maomaoru and other invited guests by the Tapa'atewa Women's Singing Band and followed on with a short church service officiated by Bishop Maomaoru.
In his address, Honourable Hou emphasized that the primary goal of SMC's development plan is to improve the socio-economic wellbeing of rural communities by providing access to government services and creating an enabling environment for economic opportunities.
Hon. Hou stated that the road infrastructure program has achieved its primary objective as the highland communities such as Ou'oumatawa, Tapa'atewa, Ruru'uhe, and Rorongo now have direct road access to Matangasi Port. This is a major achievement; villagers can now travel and transport goods by motor vehicle from the seaport to their homes and vice versa.
Hon. Hou also appealed to land and resource owners from Iolairamo, Ueniusu, Loutowa and the Port Adam area to uphold their commitments under the MOU signed with SMC regarding road construction. 'The road is passing through your land as you have intended, and the SMC Office pledges to ensure the successful completion of this phase,' Hon. Hou assured.
Hon. Hou further highlighted that once Phase II is completed, residents of Asimeuri Ward on the eastern side of the island will also gain improved access to essential government services, aligning with the primary goal of improving connectivity and service delivery. 'So, we have every reason to celebrate this day,' he said.
According to CDO Honimae, the main highlight of the program was the dedication and blessing of the machineries and the project team as officiated by Bishop Maomaoru.
A cutting of a ribbon by Hon. Hou, Bishop Maomaoru, and landowner representatives, officially initiated the phase two of the construction work from Mwenio'a to Ro'one.
On congratulating SMC and Hon Hou, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), John Misite'e congratulated SMC on this fine achievement and call on all communities to support the road development and expand their social and economic opportunities created by this infrastructure.
PS Misite'e emphasized the importance of improving rural livelihoods and ensuring people's meaningful participation in development activities, aligning with the ministry's vision to supporting, all rural Solomon Islanders to improve their social and economic livelihood.
PS Misite'e also acknowledged the ongoing active commitment of MP Houenipwela, his project team, and officers, recognizing their efforts in establishing essential infrastructure that will enable rural communities to access government services and economic opportunities.
The road project was constructed by a project team that was directly employed by the Constituency Development Office, in accordance with Section 17 of the CDF Act 2023.
The SMC Road Infrastructure Project dates back to 2012, beginning with land consultations, public awareness and mobilization of project teams. Technical work, including surveys, scoping, design, costing, and procurement of machineries, started from 2015 to 2016, with actual construction starting in mid-2017. To date, the constituency has made an investment cost including works and machineries over SBD$20 million to the project.
The Solomon Islands Government through the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), is funding the project under its Constituency Development Fund (CDF) program.
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