The success of local businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), will be critical to creating jobs, increasing household incomes and driving economic growth in Solomon Islands, according to Permanent Secretary Riley Mesepitu of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration (MCILI). Mesepitu made the remarks on September 1...

The Aviation Complex Building at Henderson has reached a major completion milestone, with physical construction substantially completed under the Second Solomon Islands Roads and Aviation Project (SIRAP2). The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Communication and Aviation (MCA) with financial and technical support from the World Bank. Const...

The Fijian government will provide 1,000 Google Career Certificate scholarships to citizens as part of efforts to expand digital skills and participation in the country’s growing digital economy. The scholarships were announced jointly by the Ministry of Policing and Communications and the Ministry of Industries, Commerce and Business Development durin...

Fiji, Guangdong, China, Manoa Kamikamica, Fiji Government, Fiji-China Relations, Guangdong Products Roadshow, Smart Manufacturing, Green Development, Renewable Energy, Green Technology, Technology Transfer, Manufacturing, Trade and Investment, Pacific Islands, Pacific Trade, Economic Development, Climate Resilience, Business Development, Foreign Investmen...

Families in the remote community of Petervat in north Malekula, Vanuatu, now have clean, reliable running water through a new solar-powered water system delivered under Australia’s REnew Pacific programme. The system uses renewable energy to pump water from a natural spring directly to households, reducing reliance on fuel-based systems and improving w...

Chemonics Australia says its acquisition of advisory firm 35 South and regional delivery specialist JID will strengthen its ability to support infrastructure, public-sector reform and development programmes across Pacific countries. The acquisitions, announced Sept. 2, expand the organisation’s capacity to work with governments, development partners an...

Kalo Gold Corp has identified a new high-grade gold-silver vein target at its Vatu Aurum Project in Fiji, with reconnaissance rock sampling returning up to 7.83 grams per tonne gold and 108g/t silver. The company said seven rock samples collected from a previously unsampled outcrop in the northeast of the Wainikoro target returned gold grades of up to ...

The Government for Reform, Empowerment, Accountability and Transformation (GREAT) Coalition has outlined policies aimed at expanding local businesses, reducing import dependence and preparing Solomon Islands for its planned graduation from least developed country status in 2027. Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration Minister Harry Kuma announced t...

Civil society representatives from across the Pacific have gathered in Tuvalu to develop a stronger collective voice on climate change ahead of Pre-COP31 and the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31). The Pacific Civil Society Dialogue on Climate Change, held in Funafuti, brings together communities, youth, women, faith-based organizati...

The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) has launched its Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Strategy 2026–2030, setting a five-year framework for making the country's fisheries sector more inclusive. Endorsed in April, the strategy will integrate gender equality, disability inclusion and social inclusion across MFMR ...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MALD), through Biosecurity Solomon Islands (BSI), has launched a 10-year strategy to strengthen the country's defenses against pests, diseases, invasive species and other biosecurity threats. The Solomon Islands National Biosecurity Strategy 2026–2036 was officially launched on Sept. 8, 2026, in pa...

The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) has received the Margarita Lizárraga Medal from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), recognising the collective leadership of Pacific Island countries in responsible fisheries management. FAO Director-General Dr Qu Dongyu presented the medal to FFA Director-General Noan Davi...

Here’s a PNG-focused news rewrite, leading with Santos’ increased stake and the implications for Papua LNG. Santos to lift Papua LNG stake to 21% as ExxonMobil takes operatorship PORT MORESBY, Sept. 7, 2026 — Santos Ltd. will increase its participating interest in the Papua LNG project to 21% after agreeing to acquire an additional 3.3% stake from T...

Fiji and China deepen agricultural cooperation through technical partnership SUVA, Fiji — Fiji and China are strengthening their longstanding agricultural partnership through expanded cooperation in research, technology, training, food security and climate-smart agriculture. The partnership was highlighted at the Fiji-China Agricultural Cooperation ...

Santos is proud to recognise a historic milestone at the Kumul Marine Terminal (KMT), with the appointment of Jackson Jim as Team Leader, working back-to-back with Willie Mapal. This marks the first time the facility has been led entirely by Papua New Guinean nationals. The achievement represents a significant moment in the history of one of Papua New ...

Solomon Islands and Serbia are seeking to translate growing bilateral ties into practical development outcomes, with potential cooperation identified in renewable energy, education, digitalisation, sports, tourism and community development. The areas of cooperation were discussed by Minister for National Planning and Development Coordination Peter Keni...

A New Zealand-funded grant has helped the Vilu War Museum in West Guadalcanal improve visitor interpretation, with 30 new signs providing historical context for the World War II relics preserved at the site. The Vilu War Museum, which holds one of the Solomon Islands’ most significant collections of large World War II relics, has completed the producti...

Fiji has taken another step toward overhauling its competition and consumer protection framework, with nationwide consultations completed on legislation that would replace the country’s 2010 competition law and establish a modern framework for regulating market conduct and protecting consumers. Fiji’s Ministry of Commerce and Business Development (MCBD...

Leaders of the four countries of the Realm of New Zealand have held their inaugural meeting in Auckland, strengthening cooperation on shared economic, security and regional priorities while reaffirming each partner’s distinct constitutional arrangements. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown joined New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Niue Pr...

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has concluded the country's participation in the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, with major commitments for the upgrade of Penrhyn's port and new investment in ocean conservation. The Cook Islands secured significant support for two key national priorities during the week-long regional ...

The Tina River Hydropower Development Project has formalised a customary reconciliation process with the Roha and Gaegae tribes through a Chupu Ceremony at the Powerhouse site, alongside the signing of a memorandum of understanding. The ceremony, held on July 28 in Central Guadalcanal, brought together representatives of the Roha and Gaegae tribes, Hab...

A landowning cooperative in Tailevu is turning customary land into commercial opportunities through agriculture, forestry and private-sector partnerships, with the Fiji Government backing the initiative as a model for rural enterprise. Twenty-two members of the Mataqali Solevu Cooperative in Naivuruvuru Village, Verata, Tailevu, are developing a five-y...

The Solomon Islands government has ordered the immediate cessation of import operations at sufferance wharves that do not comply with international maritime security requirements, citing risks to national revenue and border security. Minister of Finance and Treasury Rexon Ramofafia directed the immediate closure of all sufferance wharves without accred...

Vanuatu’s tourism sector recorded strong growth in the first half of 2026, with international visitor arrivals increasing by about 30 per cent year-on-year and generating an estimated USD 87.8 million in economic contribution, according to a new visitor survey. The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), in partnership with the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO...