by Georgina Maka’a
Five Years of Hope, Now Disappointment
Five years ago, a wave of optimism swept through Malaita Province in the Solomon Islands. People gathered at street corners, market areas, and in villages, buzzing with anticipation about a transformative program backed by one of the world’s superpowers.
The Strengthening Competitiveness, Agriculture, Livelihood, and Environment (SCALE) Program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), promised nothing short of a new beginning.
Today, that hope has turned into quiet frustration and deep disappointment. With the project abruptly halted, many Malaitans are asking a painful question: Was it ever more than a promise?
The Promise of Change
In 2020, amid regional uncertainties and growing geopolitical interest in the Pacific, the United States launched the $25 million SCALE Program as part of its broader engagement with the Solomon Islands.
The initiative’s ambition was expansive: to drive economic growth, promote sustainable agriculture, protect forests and natural resources, and empower local communities through inclusive development.
Malaita—Solomon Islands’ most populous province and often its most politically complex—was chosen as the focal point.
For many, this was a recognition of their long-standing marginalization and a rare chance to catch up with other, more developed parts of the country.
The SCALE Program was divided into five key components and implemented by five different organisations, all focusing on Forest Resource Management, Agriculture, Trade, and Investment:
- SCALE- Natural Resource Management Project – Implemented by Winrock International. The focus is on forest management, conservation and agriculture and livelihoods. The goal is to improve forest governance, strengthen agribusiness and trade, and enhance infrastructure. As such this component was given the largest share of the cake – USD $16.5 million to implement activities on the ground with resource owners and farmers.
- SCALE-Market Systems Partnership (MSP) – Implemented by DAI Ltd and was to help support private sector actors via capital and connections to markets. They promised to link markets for Kava, Cocoa and Coconut.
- SCALE-Trade and Investment (T&I) – Implemented by Nathan and Associates, focused on investment and trade. They aimed to develop projects that would support trade and investment.
- SCALE-Architecture and Investment (A&E) – Implemented by GP Tech focused on doing design and engineering for infrastructure.
- SCALE-Small Scale Construction (SSC) – Focused on the construction of small-scale projects identified by SCALE A&E (component 4). SSC was supposed to work to procure and fund the construction of these small projects based on the recommendation of A&E. This was funded from the Pacific American Fund which was being implemented by Social Solutions International (SSI).
Photo: WINROCK/Press Release
To the people of Malaita, especially tribal leaders, youth, women, and farmers, the program appeared to be more than aid—it felt like justice long delayed.
It promised new roads, processing facilities, income-generating ventures, and a model of aid that empowered the people, not bypassed them.
Hope Short-Lived: The Impact of Global Politics
But development in the Pacific is rarely insulated from global politics.
As U.S. foreign policy shifted under the Trump administration and its “America First” agenda, overseas development aid programs faced sharp cuts.
SCALE—despite its local momentum—was not spared.
Earlier this year, in a quiet but devastating move, funding was suddenly withdrawn.
On top of that, the project through the SCALE-NRM component that commands a large office in provincial capital Auki was already underperforming.
Objectives and promised goals were nowhere to be seen in the fifth and final year of the project.
It was already failing when the final nail to the coffin came when Donald Trump took office and announced a halt to USAID funding.
Field teams vanished, local workers were left confused, and community projects grounded to a halt. There was no official farewell—only a silent exit.
By the time the curtain fell, the program was nearing its fifth year. But much of its core infrastructure remained unbuilt, and its outcomes unfulfilled.
An investigation by In-depth Solomons took our reporters to Auki, the provincial capital, and into the interior villages. Our findings were sobering.
Unfulfilled Promises and Disappointed Communities
Gwaigeo and the Forest Development Fund
In the village of Fiukwai, nestled in central Malaita, tribal leader Raphael Angii once held a binder filled with conservation plans, maps, and project timelines—evidence of collaboration with SCALE-NRM.
His tribe had successfully completed three conservation stages, following a rigorous process to demarcate and protect their ancestral forests.
But his tribe’s hopes were dashed as the project office in Auki closed unexpectedly.
The promises to build processing facilities and factories at a site called Gwaigeo remained unfulfilled.
The land set aside for the new processing hub sits untouched, smothered by overgrown bush.
Cocoa, coconut, and kava processing facilities that were supposed to bring prosperity were now just dreams.
“We trusted the project,” an emotionally-charged Angii said bitterly. “Now we’re completely in the dark.”
The physical site—cleared but abandoned—has become a symbol of betrayal. What should have been a monument to progress now stands as a cautionary tale.
Malaita Provincial Leaders Speak Out
For Premier Elijah Asilaua, the sudden withdrawal of the SCALE Program was not only a logistical failure—it was a political insult.
“It was a big slap on the face of Malaita,” he told In-depth Solomon in Auki. “They gave us hope for a better future, but left us wondering,” he added.
The premier, who had cautiously supported SCALE, now vows that under his leadership, there will be no second phase.
“I will not allow any more petty politicking using the people of Malaita as pawns,” he declared.
His sentiments reflect a broader feeling among local officials who see external aid as too often tangled with political strings, with little genuine accountability and results.
Local Entrepreneurs and Farmers: Dreams Deferred
On the outskirts of Auki, Francis To’ofilu, a skilled butcher and meat processor, once imagined scaling his operations with the support of SCALE’s small business grants.
He had drawn up a plan to expand into packaged meat products, anticipating new equipment and training.
“I was so excited,” he recalled. “I thought finally, someone believed in small business.”
Instead, after three years of waiting and attending multiple workshops, nothing materialized.
“They suddenly disappeared, leaving us stranded,” he said. “It was like someone pulling the rug out from under you.”
Dozens of others in the agriculture and business sectors share his story: dreams nurtured, then abandoned.
Environmental Initiatives: Seeds That Never Grew
The program’s environmental leg focused on reforestation and watershed protection. The Airahu Rural Training Centre received seedlings for community replanting efforts.
But many seedlings died soon after planting. Imported from overseas, they weren’t suited to Malaita’s soil and climate.
“The seedlings died quickly. It’s a failed project,” said Principal Fr. Patteson Nare.
At Ofa’alomae Nursery, designed to supply trees for the Kwaiabala catchment, only a handful of saplings remain.
Some villagers—determined to make something of the initiative—have begun planting native trees on their own, but without resources, most efforts are unsustainable.
Voices of Resilience and Reflection
Still, amidst the disillusionment, some recognize the program’s intangible gains.
Dr Morgan Wairiu, former Chief of Party for SCALE-NRM, remembers the sense of purpose it brought.
“It’s heartbreaking that it stopped. It was a truly good project,” he said.
“It helped communities start talking about land, environment, and ownership in new ways,” Wairiu, a former University of South Pacific lecturer told In-depth Solomons.
Locals like Stanley Sale and Wendy Taroga echoed similar thoughts.
“It was good, but maybe too good to be true,” said Taroga. “We learned, yes—but was that the plan all along?”
Former provincial member Finley Fiumae acknowledged a rare outcome:
“At least, people are now working together to resolve land disputes. That’s not small.”
The U.S. Perspective
In Honiara, the U.S. Embassy maintains that the program created “tangible benefits”.
In response to questions from In-depth Solomons, a spokesperson from the embassy said that over 34 communities were engaged in income-generating and resource management activities.
“Our partnership with Malaita communities remains a priority,” the spokesman stated.
But in Malaita, the contrast between official narratives and on-the-ground reality remains stark.
Many see the SCALE Program as another chapter in the long story of broken development promises.
The Need for Genuine Commitment
The SCALE Program was launched with noble intentions and millions in funding.
But in a place where development is deeply tied to trust and continuity, intentions alone are not enough.
Aid cannot simply arrive with fanfare and exit without explanation. The scars it left—on land, livelihoods, and expectations—could last far longer than the projects themselves.
For Malaita, the experience of SCALE is a cautionary tale.
Real development requires more than money. It demands genuine partnership, cultural sensitivity, and political will that extends beyond electoral cycles.
Until the international community learns this, promises may sprout, but never bear fruit.
“This story was produced with funding support from the
Pacific Media Assistance Scheme PACMAS.”
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