SIG welcomes MCC Resident Threshold Director

The Solomon Islands Government (SIG) has welcomed the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) Threshold Program director in Solomon Islands, Mr Charles Jakosa.

Ministry of National Planning and Development Coordination (MNPDC) was appointed as MCC’s primary counterpart on behalf of SIG on the USD $20 million (SBD $165 million) grant that aimed at supporting the national government reduce poverty and increase economic growth in the country.

MNPDC Minister Rexon Ramofafia welcomed Mr Jakosa when he visited Honiara recently. Mr Jakosa will be moving to Honiara permanently in January for the full scale of MCC implementation.

Mr Jakosa brings a great variety of development experience to the position.  He has led implementation and been a technical expert for efforts supported by the U.S. Department of State, USAID, DFAT, the UK, Canada, and several multilateral organizations.

He recently served in Ukraine with the U.S. State Department as a Senior Anti-Corruption Advisor and before that as Chief of Party for USAID’s Promoting Peace and Justice project in Bangladesh.

Mr. Jakosa has worked in 27 countries in every region, including the Solomon Islands where he led DFAT’s Solomon Islands Justice Program.

Mr. Jakosa is a lawyer, starting his career through providing legal aid to developmentally disabled Native American children.

He then served as a public defender and later as a U.S. Department of Justice attorney where he worked on resource and land tenure issues for Native American tribes in the U.S., and later he worked to bring human rights cases against police departments.

A Kick-off workshop for SIG – MCC Threshold program has been scheduled for December 6 – 9, 2022, which is next week in Honiara for the full implementation of the program.

MCC is an independent U.S. Government foreign aid agency, which signed the USD$20 million (SBD $165 million) grant agreement with MNPDC in January this year.  Mr Jakosa’s posting in Honiara, expanding the present U.S. Mission in the Solomon Islands, is part of the U.S. Government’s commitment to the Solomon Islands after Secretary of State Blinken’s announcement that the U.S. will be opening an embassy.

 

The signing formalised the partnership between SIG and MCC. The partnership aims to encourage sustainable development and alleviate poverty through two project components, the Forest Value Enhancement Project (FoVEP) and the Accessing Land for Tourism Investment Facilitation ( ALTIF) Project.

Live & Learn/Nakau is implementing the forestry project. DT Global is implementing the policy reform activities. Agreements with all four implementing partners have been signed and activities are already underway.

IFC and Tetra Tech, with three local NGOs are implementing the tourism project. – MNPDC Press