Kukum market is not ESP funded: ESP Committee clarifies misleading newspaper report

The Economic Stimulus Package Oversight Implementing Committee (OIC) clarifies that the Kukum Market development carried out by the Honiara City Council (HCC) is not part of the Economic Stimulus Package (ESP) programs or is not funded under the ESP budget.

The Committee encourages the Island Sun reporter and other public media outlets at large to ensure they do proper research, verify information and balance their stories before publishing their report. 

The Committee reiterated that false information would wrongly influence  the minds of readers and can often leads to disunity or misinterpretation of issues.

The committee views such misinformation of important issues as driven by selfish political motives.

The Committee clarified that key infrastructure development project covered under the ESP key infrastructure programs are the Kirakira Ramp in Makira/Ulawa Province, Seghe Domestic Airport upgrade in Western Province and Malu’u wharf and Fiu bridge developments in Malaita Province.

The Committee stated that work on some of these major infrastructure development projects has started last year and will progress this year.

The Committee updated that the construction phase of KiraKira Ramp in Makira is more than 50 percent towards completion, the Malu’u wharf project in Malaita is effective in December, 2020, and contractor is expected to mobilize in March and depending on weather the contractor for the Taba’a bridge in Malaita is expected to mobilize to the site before the end of this month.

Furthermore, the committee also wish to update the public that international tender for the Fiu bridge in Malaita will expire on 3^rd of March, 2021.

The Government through the ESP Budget contributed $30 million towards the Fiu Bridge project. Seghe domestic airfield is also part of the ESP financing in which the Government contributed $16 million in June 2020. 

The Committee confirmed that international tender for Seghe domestic airfield is currently active and will expire on 19^th March 2021.  With the current schedule, work for Seghe airport should commence in July 2021.

Further, the committee wishes to update the good public that the first round of outstanding approvals of all the productive and resource sectors is complete.

The second round of approvals will be done after review of the first round of approval and funding availability.

The committee is expected to transfer all the remaining approvals to the public website by the end of this week, and process for payments is progressing well. 

The Government through the ESP Committee is fully committed to the accountable implementation of the ESP in the interest of wellbeing of the people, national stability and economic empowerment.

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For further information, contact Chairman of Economic Stimulus Package Oversight implementing Committee(OIC) and Permanent Secretary, MoFT Mr. McKinnie. P Dentana, phone 21058 or [email protected]