SOLOMON ISLANDS AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA SHARE EXPERIENCES ON SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES (SEZ)
As the Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) prepares to table the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Bill in the upcoming sitting of Parliament, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration (MCILI) is taking the lead in laying the groundwork for its implementation.
To support this initiative, the Minister for MCILI, Honorable Harry Kuma, recently led a government delegation to Papua New Guinea (PNG) to observe and learn from PNG’s experience implementing Special Economic Zones.
PNG is ahead of the Solomon Islands in operationalizing SEZs, and its experience provides valuable insight as the Solomon Islands Government moves to establish a legal and institutional framework for its own SEZ program.
The visiting delegation included the Permanent Secretary for Commerce, the Registrar of Foreign Investment, the Registrar of Companies, and senior officials from the Customs and Excise Division, Inland Revenue Division, Immigration, and the Foreign Investment Division of the Ministry of Commerce.
During the visit, the delegation met with the PNG SEZ Board, which is responsible for overseeing the management and implementation of SEZs in the country. The team also toured one of PNG’s SEZ project sites — a tourism-focused SEZ — which is currently under development.
Minister Kuma and his delegation were impressed with the PNG SEZ setup, noting its autonomous authority status and the strong leadership provided by its governing board.
In comparison, the proposed SEZ framework in Solomon Islands will initially be supported by the Foreign Investment Division under the Ministry of Commerce, with the Permanent Secretary serving as the head of the SEZ Secretariat.
The delegation also had the opportunity to visit PNG’s Investment Promotion Authority (IPA), a statutory body established under its own Act of Parliament. The visit allowed the Solomon Islands team to gain valuable insights into how an independent investment authority functions.
The Solomon Islands Government, through the Ministry of Commerce, launched the Investment Policy and Promotion Strategy 2023–2024 last year. A key component of the strategy is the establishment of a similar independent Investment Promotion Authority, which will be governed by the forthcoming Investment Act. This entity will play a central role in promoting investment opportunities across the country to both local and international investors.
Minister Kuma and his delegation have returned to Honiara following a successful week-long mission in Papua New Guinea.
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