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SIIP SKILLS SERIES ROLLS OUT SECOND WORKSHOP
Media Release
1st Februray 2023
Over 80 local building and supply contractors attended the Australian funded Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program’s (SIIP) second Workforce Skills Series workshop, held in partnership with Solomon Water, designed to lift the quality and competitiveness of the local private sector.
Australia’s SBD1.65-billion infrastructure partnership with Solomon Islands is delivering the free professional development series to promote local content opportunities through better skills, knowledge, and expertise for local companies to create more local jobs and deliver quality results.

Ground-breaking for Naha Birthing and Urban Health Centre
Media Release
23 January 2023
The Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Culwick Togamana and the Australian High Commissioner Dr Lachlan Strahan participated in a ground-breaking ceremony yesterday for the Naha Birthing and Urban Health Centre. The Centre is a flagship SBD150 million investment in the health of Solomon Islanders funded by the Australian Government.

AUSTRALIAN INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM APPROVES 2030 ROADMAP AND LOCAL CONTENT STRATEGY
Media Release
27 December 2023
The Australian and Solomon Islands Governments have approved a 2030 roadmap for the Australian-funded Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program (SIIP) which outlines a pathway to boost connectivity in the country by building robust and high-quality economic infrastructure. Local content will play a vital role in realising the Roadmap.
Following the quarterly SIIP Steering Committee meeting on 7 December, Co-Chair and Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr Jimmie Rodgers said, “the Roadmap will help to harness the transformative potential of the remaining eight years of Australia’s ten-year infrastructure investment to stimulate economic development in Solomon Islands”.

AUSTRALIA-SOLOMON ISLANDS TO BUILD CLIMATE RESILIENT BUALA
WHARF
Media Release
21 December 2022
The Australian funded Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program will build a new wharf and
barge landing area for Buala, the primary freight point for Isabel Province. The project is
valued at a SBD45 million (AUD8.6 million).
Read More

ACCESSIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ALL
Media Release
2 December 2022
The Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program (SIIP) is acknowledging this year’s International Day of
Persons with Disabilities (3 December) by highlighting infrastructure’s vital role in creating
'transformative solutions for inclusive development’ – this year’s theme.
“Well-designed and well-constructed infrastructure can either transform the lives of people using it, or
create barriers to social and economic opportunities for all,” said SIIP Team Leader Ms Eleanor Fenton
Read more

SIIP Skills Series Commences
Media Release
31 October 2022
Over 90 local building and supply contractors have attended Solomon Islands Infrastructure
Program's (SIIP) first Workforce Skills Series workshop, designed to lift the quality and
competitiveness of construction in Solomon Islands.
Australia’s SBD1.5-billion-dollar infrastructure partnership with Solomon Islands is delivering the free
training series to promote skills, knowledge and expertise for local companies to create more local
jobs and deliver better results.
The first workshop, held on Thursday in Honiara, targeted the preparation of tender submissions by
local firms. Next month, a second half-day workshop will be held on contract administration.

Local infrastructure industry opportunities
Media release
09 September 2022
The Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program (SIIP) engaged with local and international construction businesses and suppliers in Honiara this week with an industry briefing about the Australian-funded economic infrastructure program, which promises to deliver local jobs and local industry opportunities.
Speaking at the event opening, SIIP Steering Committee member and Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of National Planning and Development Coordination, Susan Sulu, said firms who were considering working on SIIP projects should understand SIIP’s twin goals.

Safe, clean, reliable and sustainable water supply for Gizo
Media release
9 September 2022
The Australian-funded Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program (SIIP) and Solomon Water will establish a new water supply system in Gizo. The SIIP Steering Committee approved a funding contribution of SBD56 million (AUD10 million) for the project in their fourth meeting on 1 September 2022.
The Gizo Water Supply Project will deliver a safe, clean, reliable, and sustainable supply of water for Gizo town.

Making nature part of the solution
OpEd from the Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands
Dr Lachlan Strahan, published in both Solomon Star and Island Sun Newspapers.
16 September 2022
"...Infrastructure delivered by the Australian-funded Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program (SIIP) will be green, not grey. SIIP’s Climate Change and Disaster Resilience Strategy explains how SIIP will support the Solomon Islands Government to plan, deliver and maintain infrastructure that is resilient to the impacts of climate change and natural disasters...'

Fact-finding mission assesses economic potential of Buala market
Media release
25 May 2022
The local technical team, accompanied by program officers from the Australian High Commission, met Isabel Premier Rhoda Sikilabu and her executive, as well as market vendors and local community representatives to gather information about the current market and assess what improvements could best help increase local economic activity in one of several scoping missions to provinces.

Australia-Solomon infrastructure partnership supports Noro Port upgrade
Media release
15 May 2022
Australia’s flagship Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program (SIIP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Solomon Islands Ports Authority (SIPA) in May to support the upgrade of the country’s second largest port in Noro, Western Province.
SIIP will deliver a detailed design to increase the capacity and efficiency of Noro Port which processes both domestic and international shipping, including passenger, freight and fishing fleets.

SIIP to redevelop six provincial markets
Media release
8 March 2022
Australia’s flagship Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program (SIIP) has agreed to fast track redevelopment of six markets across Malaita, Guadalcanal, Honiara, Isabel and Western Province, improve provincial ports and launch a new SIIP website. SIIP is in its first phase of implementation. Work on the markets project is expected to commence by December 2022.
These priorities were set at SIIP’s second joint Steering Committee meeting, co-chaired by Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr Jimmie Rodgers and Australian High Commissioner Dr Lachlan Strahan. Given the volume of high-profile and urgent work coming down the SIIP pipeline, the Committee agreed to increase its meetings from every six months to quarterly.

SIIP highlights women 'breaking the bias' in infrastructure
Feature
8 March 2022
Join us celebrate the women who make a difference to infrastructure in Solomon Islands! SIIP is highlighting stories of women who continue to push the boundaries to break bias in the infrastructure space, click on this link to listen to their stories.

A new Birthing and Urban Health Centre for Naha
Media release
09 October 2022
The Australian and Solomon Islands Governments have announced that works are set to recommence on the SBD150m Naha Birthing and Urban Health Centre in Honiara under Australia’s flagship Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program (SIIP).
The redesigned 34-bed facility will significantly improve health outcomes for Solomon Islanders by providing high quality care in a modern, durable building.
Australia is committing over SBD150m to the project, which includes construction, staff training and ongoing maintenance in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services.