Hon. Sogavare Praise NPF to invest in Tourism Sector

Member of Parliament for East Choiseul and former Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, has praised the Solomon Islands National Provident Fund (SINPF) for investing in the tourism and hospitality industry through the purchase of the King Solomon Hotel in a joint venture with the O’Neill Remington Group.

Mr. Sogavare made the statement on Monday during his second reading contribution to the debate on the 2026 National Budget in Parliament.

He noted that investing in the tourism sector will produce strong financial results, uphold excellent standards of hospitality in the nation’s capital, and provide new, long-term employment opportunities for Solomon Islanders.

“I believe the government should take a deliberate policy decision to partner with the private sector, such as the current hotel developers, who are concentrating their efforts in Honiara,” he said.

He also emphasized the need for the government to work with traditional landowners to extend business opportunities to rural areas.

“Government can explore ways to work with SINPF, the O’Neill Remington Group, and hotel developers in Honiara, and we need to fully utilize the Melanesian Free Trade Agreement,” he added.

“That’s why MSG exists for us to use. As we all know, there are 50 PNG companies operating in the Solomon Islands, representing significant foreign investment from our Melanesian neighbor, Papua New Guinea.”

Sogavare spoke in support of the 2026 Appropriation Bill 2025 during the debate.