Isabel Province Tops 2023/24 PCDF Performance Assessment

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  Isabel Province has topped the 2023/24 Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF) Annual Performance Assessment (APA) with 69 points, followed by Western Province with 62 points and Choiseul with 61 points.

The results were endorsed by the Joint Oversight Committee (JOC) of the Provincial Governance Strengthening Programme (PGSP), which confirmed that all nine provinces met the eleven Minimum Qualifying Conditions (MQCs) and will benefit from a total allocation of SBD62.4 million for the 2025/26 fiscal year.

Temotu ranked fourth, followed by Makira-Ulawa, Malaita, Guadalcanal, and Rennell and Bellona.

The JOC met on October 14 to review and approve recommendations from the Provincial Fiscal Grant Coordination Committee (PFGCC), which earlier convened its meeting at the Malaita Provincial Assembly Chamber in Auki from October 9–10.

The JOC is chaired by the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening (MPGIS) and includes twelve Permanent Secretaries from key line ministries, representatives from the Cabinet Secretariat, Auditor General, and Accountant General, along with three Provincial Secretaries serving on a rotational basis.

This year’s assessment introduced a new climate change and resilience component through the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL), which reorganised performance measures into six thematic clusters assessing provinces on preparedness, adaptability, and resilience.

The independent assessment team comprised social development consultant Tony Hou, audit consultant Roger Townsend, and climate assessor Dr. Morgan Wairiu, under UNCDF’s LoCAL initiative.

Officials said the results show that all Minimum Conditions—derived from national laws and provincial financial management ordinances—are achievable when provinces maintain compliance and good governance practices.

The SBD62.4 million allocation includes contributions from the Solomon Islands Government (SBD30 million), the Integrated Economic Development and Community Resilience (IEDCR) Project (SBD18.7 million), and LoCAL (funded by the New Zealand Government and the European Union).

Since its inception in 2008/09, the PGSP and PCDF have helped strengthen provincial governance, improve public expenditure management, and enhance service delivery across Solomon Islands provinces.