Solomon Islands Says SBD75m Cyclone Fund Untouched as Materials for 20 Homes Secured

Solomon Islands has not yet drawn on a SBD75 million special fund for rebuilding homes damaged by Tropical Cyclone Maila, the government said on 6 November, even as officials reported securing building materials for the first 20 houses in Gizo.

The disclosure came in a response to questions from Transparency Solomon Islands about how recovery money is being managed and when assistance will reach families in Western and Choiseul provinces. It is a statement about money **accessed from the dedicated fund**, not evidence that no other government or donor money has been spent on cyclone relief.

David Hiba Hiriasia, the National Disaster Council chairman and permanent secretary responsible for disaster management, said the special fund had been established following Cabinet approval. Procurement and sourcing were proceeding through existing government arrangements, he said, with materials secured for 20 homes and additional supplies being prepared. His statement did not identify the suppliers, the purchase values or the funding source for those initial materials.

What changed since October

At a 5 October press conference, finance deputy secretary Coswal Nelson said the SBD75 million appropriation remained in the government's Consolidated Fund while officials worked with the Central Bank of Solomon Islands to establish the separate account required for disaster recovery. In first-hand reporting from that briefing, the Island Sun quoted Nelson as saying funds would be transferred once the account was created.

At the same briefing, officials said the fund had to comply with public financial management rules and that the Auditor-General would examine its accounts. The government did not then announce that the special account had started disbursing money.

The 6 November statement confirms that the special fund has been established but that money has still not been accessed from it. It does **not** establish whether the account is fully operational, whether amounts have been legally committed, or what has been paid through other government arrangements. Those are different accounting stages and require the fund's bank, procurement and appropriation records.

The SBD75 million is an allocation for recovery, not a sum shown to be missing or misappropriated. Finance Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo publicly outlined the allocation in August, with spending intended to support recovery through the end of 2026. It is separate from the government's initial SBD10 million emergency-response commitment and should not automatically be combined with announced donor credit facilities as if all were cash disbursements.

Government response and unresolved questions

Hiriasia said officials were validating damage assessments and beneficiary lists with the Western Provincial Government to reduce duplication and favoritism. He said affected households should begin seeing results within the next two months. This is a forecast, not confirmation that the 20 houses have been built or handed over.

Transparency Solomon Islands has pressed for clearer public reporting on the recovery programme. The government's latest response acknowledges those concerns and says appropriate financial and procurement safeguards are in place. The response does not supply a project-level expenditure ledger, award notices, beneficiary list or delivery timetable for all affected households.

The National Disaster Council also said the International Organization for Migration's separate shelter project on Simbo was expected to be handed over the following week, subject to final arrangements. That project should not be counted as a completed output of the SBD75 million special fund without financing records linking them.

The immediate accountability tests are whether the special account has been activated and funded, which suppliers have received purchase orders or payments under existing arrangements, and when the first households receive verified materials or completed homes. An eventual Auditor-General examination and public reporting to Parliament could establish how the fund was used. For now, the confirmed finding is narrower: the government says the dedicated fund remains undrawn while some procurement preparations have advanced.