Chinese Government provides 100 water tanks and construction materials for Gizo-Kolombangara Constituency under Rural Sustainable Development Program

On December 20, 2023, a handover ceremony was held for 100 new water tanks and construction materials benefiting communities in the Gizo-Kolombangara Constituency (GKC), Western Province.

This donation is part of the Rural Sustainable Development Program (RSDP), a $10 million grant initiative funded by the Chinese Government and implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development.

The handover included materials for two large-scale water supply projects—one for Lady Lever (serving 2,000 residents across five communities) and another for Kena and Hunda communities (benefiting an estimated 1,500 residents). Construction was scheduled to begin in January 2024 with the involvement of a local contractor and community labor.

The RSDP aims to improve the livelihood of rural Solomon Islanders by supporting infrastructure projects through funding from the Chinese Government and technical oversight by MRD. This marks the first official delivery under the program.

Chinese Ambassador Cai Weiming and MRD Minister Duddley Kopu attended the ceremony, both emphasizing the long-term importance of China–Solomon Islands cooperation in rural development since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 2019. As of April 2022, at least $2.47 million USD had been disbursed under the RSDP.