SICCI recognizes the initiative to visit the airport project site

The Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) describes the recent site visit of the Honiara International Airport Improvement Project by Civil Engineering students from the National University (SINU) as a step forward. positive forward.

SICCI thanks Gyros and Kitano Construction Cooperation and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Solomon Islands for this initiative which is considered one of the positive results of a recent infrastructure symposium organized by the Chamber and which brought together the main stakeholders in the infrastructure development sector.

“At the Symposium, my colleague and I gave a brief introduction to this airport project and informed the participants of the intention that the project manager consider organizing an observation tour of the site for students learning the civil engineering in the Solomon Islands. Today (Tuesday, November 16), we made it a reality, ”said Mr. Motoyuki Uegaki, resident representative of JICA.

At the Symposium, Mr. Uegaki said that the problem their projects face is a shortage of engineers or technicians in a specific construction area in the local market and that vocational training is the most important factor for the future. promotion of employment through public-private cooperation.

During this week’s site visit, he said it was a bit difficult to find enough people who could provide a certain level of engineering knowledge and skills in the country. However, he says it is important to recognize that these students will be essential engineers who will be able to drive infrastructure development in Solomon Islands in the near future.

Project manager Takeshi Iwasaki, Kitano Construction, said: “The Solomon Islands need the participation of young people in the task of nation building. While we make good quality things, training local workers is also our important goal.

“With this in mind, I hope that many engineers will be trained among you for the future development of the Solomon Islands. “

SICCI maintains that we can maximize the benefits of in-country infrastructure spending if there are policies and regulations in place to promote local content.

“Focusing on maximizing local content ensures that local workers have jobs that will lead to skills development and transfer.

“Not only that, but local suppliers will also have the opportunity to expand in the market, and local businesses will grow and contribute to the income that will stay in the country and promote local private sector standards,” a statement said from the SICCI.

One of the outcomes of the Infrastructure Symposium in October was to gain an overview of infrastructure projects across the country and assess their impact on the local economy.

The Honiara International Airport Improvement Project is one such project, funded by the Japanese government to the tune of $ 340 million, which will bring considerable added value to the economy.

The project is expected to be completed by 2023, just in time to meet the expected increased demand for people arriving in July 2023, when Solomon Islands host the 2023 Pacific Games.

The completion of the airport project will coincide with the completion of another
large infrastructure project funded and built by the government of Japan, the second phase of the Kukum highway project.

Source: SICCI Media