ADB Joins in Opening Ceremony for New USP Campus in Solomon Islands
HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS (3 October 2024) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) today joined with partners in Solomon Islands for the official opening of a new campus of the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Honiara.
The new campus will offer courses across all its six schools and institutes such as information and communication technology, accounting, finance and economics, communication and education, geography, ocean and natural sciences. USP expects to elevate the new campus to a regional hub for public health. There will also be improvements for career counselling, human resources, and USP governance and management.
ADB supported the new campus with a $15.4 million loan from the Asian Development Fund, which supports ADB’s poorest and most vulnerable developing member countries.
“This state-of-the-art facility will serve as a hub for innovation, collaboration and growth,” said ADB Regional Director Shane Rosenthal. “The new campus will provide expanded access to quality higher education, particularly for women and students from remote outer islands and other Pacific countries.”
“Solomon Islands has waited a long time for this transformational project which will help mold our leaders of the future—particularly in the public health sector,” said Solomon Islands Governor General David Tiva Kapu. “USP graduates will contribute toward enhancing the competitiveness and diversification of Pacific island countries’ economies.”
“The new campus is a testament to the long-standing partnership between USP and the Government and peoples of Solomon Islands,” USP Vice-Chancellor Pal Ahluwalia. “With the opening of the new campus, we are enhancing our commitment to mitigate the environmental impacts of climate change, and we will be leveraging our strength as the only world-ranked university in our region to lead community action, policy reform, and research to focus on this challenge.”
The project also received a $1.5 million grant from the Clean Energy Fund, $1.63 million from USP, and $850,000 from the Government of Solomon Islands.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 69 members—49 from the region.
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ADB News Release
