by Ednal Palmer
The Solomon Islands Government has been warned that the country will continue to lose significant mining revenue unless it strengthens its capacity to verify mineral exports.
The warning came as the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) scrutinised the Ministry of Finance and Treasury over declining government returns, despite increased mining export volumes.
PAC Chair and Central Honiara MP Gordon Darcy Lilo questioned why the state is failing to capture the full value of its resources.
In response, the Permanent Secretary for Finance McKinnie Dentana conceded that Solomon Islands currently lacks the ability to independently verify mineral content—leaving revenue collection heavily reliant on company declarations.
“We will continue to lose out if we cannot ascertain what we are exporting,” he said. “Our systems have gaps and loopholes, and enforcement needs to be tightened across Mines, CBSI, and Customs.”
He noted that while mining remains central to economic forecasts due to the country’s large mineral reserves, reforms are urgently required to ensure royalties, duties, and remittances reflect the true value of exports.
“We anticipate higher production next year. But getting the full value from that production is still an issue unless we improve verification capacity,” he said.
To address the long-standing capability shortfall, the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the China Geological Survey in Tianjin, China.
Signed on behalf of the government by Solomon Islands Ambassador to China, His Excellency Barret Salato, the MOU aims to boost research collaboration, technology sharing and geochemical laboratory standards.
The Director of the Geological Survey, Clinton Roga, said the partnership would help the country strengthen mineral analysis, improve data accuracy and support trained technical personnel.
“This agreement gives us access to new technologies and expertise that will greatly improve our capability,” he said.
PAC Chairman MP Lilo warned that the government’s heavy reliance on mining in its economic outlook is “not promising” unless regulatory weaknesses are addressed.
As mining activity rises, the PAC says the national interest must be protected through stronger compliance, tighter export procedures, and legal reforms to close revenue leakages.
Until then, despite its rich mineral deposits, Solomon Islands remains at risk of benefiting least from its own resources.
