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  2. Interview: “We’re trying to balance economic growth and conservation” - Solomon Islands PM Jeremiah Manele
August 21, 2025

Interview: “We’re trying to balance economic growth and conservation” - Solomon Islands PM Jeremiah Manele

OPEC Fund Development Forum 2025

Jeremiah Manele, Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands since May 2024, brings decades of diplomatic and public service experience to his leadership. We spoke with PM Manele during our June 2025 Development Forum about how his government is addressing deforestation, promoting sustainable development, and what the OPEC Fund’s new Island Resilience Facility could mean for Small Island Developing States.

 

The UN says deforestation is a particular problem for the Solomon Islands. How are you combating this?

Deforestation in the Solomon Islands is linked to logging. However, we’re still at about 90 percent of our forest cover and that’s important in terms of carbon sinks. Nevertheless, the government is taking measures to shift from the forestry sector to focus more on agriculture, fisheries, tourism and mining. We’re trying to balance economic growth and conservation. We’re working hard to ensure that there’s compliance with our laws. There’s also a new forestry bill currently being drafted and we hope that this piece of legislation will come to parliament by the end of this year or early next year.

What role do you see for our new Island Resilience Facility and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Strategy?

This facility will be critical for accelerating and de-risking SDG projects in climate action, the blue economy, renewable energy, as well as innovations in communications — and not only in the Solomon Islands, but also in other SIDS. We hope that this expanded OPEC Fund support can also be used in private sector development through financial arrangements. But what is most critical is the greater funding predictability that comes with this facility.

Partnership Snapshot

The OPEC Fund and the Solomon Islands have been partners since the early 1980s, working together to advance sustainable development and economic resilience. To date, the OPEC Fund has approved five operations in the country with a cumulative value of US$7 million, supporting priority areas such as infrastructure, transport and economic development.

In June 2025, the OPEC Fund and the Solomon Islands signed a Country Partnership Framework to expand engagement and deepen collaboration, including through private sector development. The framework aligns with the country’s national development priorities and seeks to scale up financing in key sectors.

This partnership also falls under the OPEC Fund’s Island Resilience Facility, part of the institution’s broader Small Island Developing States (SIDS) initiative, which addresses the unique development challenges of island nations, including climate resilience, connectivity and economic diversification.

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August 21, 2025
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