Nishimura's Pen

BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO PERMANENET secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Andrew Nihopara  THE Ministry of Culture and Tourism has discussed the need to establish a Tourism Business Loan Guarantee scheme that would be made available to all tourism and tourism-related businesses. This was revealed to this paper by Andrew Nihopara, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. “Another plan that is current under discussion is the need to establish a Tourism Business Loan Guarantee Scheme that would be available to all tourism and tourism-related businesses. “This will include the existing businesses that required to be upgraded under the Minimum Standards that are currently being rolled out,” he said. Nihopara said the idea behind such approach is to ensure that tourism growth adopts a much more commercial approach that is government grant dependent. “Hence, the incentive packages and the loan guarantee scheme are normal b...

BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO Hon. Namson Tran MEMBER of Parliament for West Honiara Constituency Namson Tran has stepped in to support three clinics with medical supplies as the country faces shortage in medicine. Mr Tran rendered support to three clinics under his constituency including Mbokona, Rove Area Health Centre and White River clinic with medical drugs. Yesterday West Honiara Constituency Constituency Development Officer (CDO) Brain Taupiri officially handed over the drugs to nurses in charge of the three clinics. Taupiri says the medical supplies purchased by Tran are only to be distributed amongst the three clinics under his constituency. “These medical supplies donated are basic medications which will provide support to treat patients until the National Medical store is back to normal. “On behalf of Tran he said he acknowledges that this is a national issue, a crisis, a life threatening and the main focus is the National Referral Hospital (NRH...

BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO ACTING City Mayor Eddie Ngava has called on members of Parliament to step in and render support in the national issue - medical drug shortage. He expressed this sentiment at the officially handing over of medical supplies by Namson Tran (MP for West Honiara) to three clinics in his constituency. ACTING City Mayor Eddie Ngava Ngava said the donations of the medical drugs are from one MP but if the 49 others step in with the same initiative it will lessen the country’s medical crisis. “Hence I hereby challenge the other Parliamentarians who if on their own way rendered support to our clinics in each of the constituency then we’ll have gone a long way,” he said. The total cost of the medical drugs is $250,000 and this amount of money came directly from Tran’s personal funds, purposely to help address the country’s drug shortage problem. The three clinics Tran supported are Mbokona Clinc, Rove Area Health Centre and Whit River ...

BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO A project that aims to improve social accountability in the Solomon Islands was launched in Honiara by Oxfam Solomon Islands and the Solomon Islands Social Accountability Coalition (SISAC).    The project – funded by European Union – hopes to strengthen the capacity of the coalition (SISAC) and other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) over the next three years to promote inclusive development and enhance democratic governance and accountability among government and civil society institutions in the country. The “Improving Social Accountability in the Solomon Islands” is a three-year long project in the duration from April 2018 to March 2019. Addressing the launching occasion Simon Uesikoke, the Social Accountability Project Manager, said its overall objective is to promote inclusive development and enhance democratic governance and accountability among government and civil institutions in Solomon Islands. Participants who witn...

BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO THE Solomon Islands Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology Capacity Development Project (SIMCAP) have eyed implementing the second phase of the project. This was disclosed last week during the wrapped up event of its first phase in Honiara. Speaking during the end event Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM) Dr Melchior Mataki said the ministry is planning to implement the second potential phase of the project. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM) Dr Melchior Mataki He said, however it was planned differently and there is still a need to work on its details and commitment towards its implementation to make it done. Ms Asuza Kubota country manager of United Nation Development Program (UNDP) said the second phase requires collaborative partnership. ...

BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO THE Permanente Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM) Dr Melchior Mataki has highlighted the strategies divisions under the ministry will work on over the next three years (2018 – 2020). He said there are number of strategies each of the divisions under this ministry will work to achieve within the period of three years. The divisions comprised of Environment, Climate Change, Meteorology, Disaster Management and Corporate. Mataki said the division of environment is responsible of promoting of biodiversity conservation management and restoration of the Solomon Islands environment; protect ecosystems, biodiversity and endemic and threatened plant and animal species, oversea manage and control prescribed development, manage effectively waste and pollution and to administer and implement terrestrial and marine international , regional and sector environmental agreements and conve...

BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO A call to install all early warning systems in one place was made during the launching of the wrapped up event of the Solomon Islands Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology Capacity Development Project (SIMCAP) last week. This call was made by a concerned outspoken staff working at the division of Meteorology under the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorological (MECDM). Permanent Secretary of the MECDM Dr Melchior Mataki He said the early warning systems are meteorology, seismology and hydrology equipment’s to name a few, which functions to produce relevant and timely information in a systematic way prior to a disaster in order to make informed decisions and to take actions. “Having few of the leading systems located in different ministry has been a problem in regards to our work. “Hence we want all lead sources (early warning systems) to be located in on...