The Solomon Islands Government and the World Bank signed the financing agreements that will enable Community Access and Urban Services Enhancement Project II (CAUSE II) to move into the implementation phase. The signatories during yesterday’s (5th November) ceremony at the Ministry of Finance Headquarters in Honiara were Finance and Treasury Minister, Hon. Manasseh Sogavare, on behalf of the Solomon Islands Government, and Stephen N. Ndegwa, Country Director, Papua New Guinea & Pacific Islands, East Asia, and Pacific Region, on behalf of the International Development Association. CAUSE II total financing is approximately SBD314 million with the Government of Australia as co-financier.
CAUSE II will build on the success of its predecessor, which closed on October 31, 2024, and benefited over 100,000 people. CAUSE I generated nearly 370,000 labour days, provided short-term employment for 8,400 people—of whom over 50% were women and youth—and delivered essential urban services such as road maintenance, drainage, and waste management.
The new project will invest in climate-resilient infrastructure and provide economic opportunities for local communities across the Solomon Islands. CAUSE II will be implemented in the fastest-growing urban centres in the country—Honiara City, urban and peri-urban areas of the provinces of Guadalcanal, Malaita (Auki), and Western (Gizo, Noro, and Munda).
Honiara City and the provincial towns are home to about 30 percent of the total Solomon Islands population and face significant development challenges, including high unemployment rates, unplanned growth of informal settlements, particularly in areas prone to climatic hazards such as flooding and landslides, and inadequate infrastructure and services that are increasingly strain by the impacts of climate change.
Hon. Sogavare remarked that the launch of CAUSE II marks a significant step toward addressing immediate infrastructure needs in rapidly growing townships across the country while putting in place, the building blocks for better urban management moving forward.
“CAUSE II builds on 16 years of success from the Rapid Employment Project and CAUSE I on delivering urban infrastructure and services through community-based labour. This long-running Solomon Islands Government initiative will enhance the climate resilience of our townships, offer income opportunities to vulnerable urban residents, and improve urban land information and revenue collection systems.”
CAUSE II investments will target urban areas especially vulnerable to climate change impacts and provide about 120,000 residents with better and safer access to roads, employment, and services, along with more intensive competency-based skills training, job opportunities, and employment services for about 4,700 unemployed and out-of-school urban residents. The project will also invest in rehabilitation of drainage systems, upgrading key urban roads, and strengthening solid waste management. These measures will also support disaster preparedness, making urban communities more resilient to extreme weather events. A key feature of the second phase is the improvement of land administration and asset management systems for effective urban service delivery.
Mr. Ndegwa, World Bank Country Director for Papua New Guinea & Pacific Islands said they take great pride in their ongoing support for CAUSE.
“The project provides a model for positive urban development throughout the Solomon Islands, creating job opportunities, improving the resilience of communities, and enhancing essential urban services.”
“The co-financing from Australia has been essential in allowing us to scale up our efforts.”
Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, His Excellency Rod Hilton, said Australia values its strong economic partnership with Solomon Islands, focusing on local job creation, economic growth, infrastructure, and women’s empowerment.
“We are proud to have supported CAUSE I with SBD65 million and are committed to providing a further SDB165 million for CAUSE II,” Commissioner Hilton said.
CAUSE II implemented by the Solomon Islands Government and is supported by the World Bank and Australia through the Papua New Guinea and Pacific Islands Umbrella Facility Multi-Donor Trust Fund.
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