The Solomon Islands Government is targeting the creation of 25,000 new jobs over the next four years, with Minister of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration Harry Kuma saying stronger economic growth is essential to absorb the country’s expanding young workforce.
Speaking at the opening of the National Business Forum 2026 in Honiara on September 14, Kuma said jobs were critical to national stability and economic development as increasing numbers of young people enter the workforce each year.
“Every single year, tens of thousands of our young people exit primary, secondary and tertiary education looking for opportunity. To absorb them, economic growth is not optional — it is mandatory,” Kuma said.
He said the GREAT Coalition Government was focused on improving the investment climate, noting that Solomon Islands ranked 136th out of 190 economies on the World Bank’s former Ease of Doing Business Index, with a score of 55 out of 100.
Kuma said the Government would seek to improve the business environment by reforming laws, streamlining processes and removing bureaucratic barriers.
He also challenged the business community and government agencies to address 10 recommendations raised at the inaugural National Business Forum in 2025.
These include reducing high energy costs, protecting and supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs, helping informal businesses transition into the formal economy and strengthening the lending capacity of state-owned financial institutions.
Other priorities include improving commercial banks’ understanding of small and medium-sized enterprises, reviewing digital financial costs including platforms such as M-Selen, expanding opportunities for young people, providing targeted support for women entrepreneurs and strengthening cooperation between businesses, government and academic institutions such as Solomon Islands National University.
Kuma also backed efforts to establish the National Business Forum as an annual or biennial platform for sustained dialogue between government and the private sector.
“My charge to this room is simple: Do not leave this forum with a list of complaints. Leave this forum with practical, executable solutions,” Kuma said.
“The Ministry is listening. The GREAT Coalition and Government are ready. The solutions you design today will directly influence the policies and regulations we deploy moving forward.”
The National Business Forum was established following Cabinet approval on July 9, 2025, in partnership with the Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The inaugural forum was held under the theme “Partnership and Innovation for Resilience: Adapting to a Changing Economy.”
While the 2026 forum has no specific theme, Kuma said it builds on last year’s discussions by focusing on partnerships and addressing issues already identified by businesses.
He concluded by quoting Mahatma Gandhi: “The future depends on what we do in the present.”
