SICCI Executive Summary for May/June 2011

20 June 2011

SICCI and IFC to develop Business and Investment Manual

In May 2011, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank organization, signed an MOU with the Chamber of Commerce for the development of a Business and Investment Manual. Under the MOU the IFC was to provide a consultant who was to assist SICCI develop the Manual. Ross Masika, a locally engaged consultant has already started on the Manual under the guidance of the CEO and Board. The Manual is not intended to cover information provided by other similar publications on the Solomon Islands, but is primarily intended to focus on the procedures involved in setting up a business in the Solomon Islands, from registration as foreign investor to processes related to clearing customs. A launch of the Manual is expected to take place in August 2011.

SICCI Meets with Stakeholders

SICCI Chairman, Vice-Chairman and CEO have in the last week been engaged in visits to a number of stakeholders to the private sector. Meetings were held with presidents of the Chinese Association, Small and Medium Enterprise Council as well as the Solomon Islands Water Authority and Honiara City Council. In the coming week, SICCI will continue to meet with other stakeholders namely the donor agencies in the Solomon Islands.

The aim of the visits is to touch base with stakeholders of the private sector, and to talk about issues that are relevant to them, obtain their views on the Chamber and also to explore ways in which the Chamber can better interact and engage with them. A report on the meetings will be distributed to Members.

 SICCI Completes Workshop on Labor Law Reform 

The Chamber of Commerce recently completed its Labor Law Reform Workshop, with a 2-day workshop from 1-2 June 2011. The Workshop was funded by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and was facilitated by Labor Law Lecturer, Anita Jowitt from the University of the South Pacific, School of Law in Vanuatu. The Workshop was attended by representatives of SICCI employers who had the opportunity to discuss issues as well as priorities for reform of the countries labor law. A draft Position Paper on SICCI’s views on Labor Law Reform has been developed and is awaiting finalization by Members before it will be formally presented to the Minister of Commerce for his further consideration.

     SICCI secures Agent of Business Mentors NZ         

SICCI has recently secured itself as Agent of the Business Mentors NZ Programme, an NZAid funded programme that aims to provide mentorship services and support to Solomon Islands businesses. The Business Mentors NZ (BMNZ) programme seeks to support the growth and development of businesses through the engagement of NZ business mentors to companies. This initiative was initially designed to support NZ SME’s. Very recently however, a BMNZ Pacific was set up as an extension of the programme to Pacific Island Countries. Since 2010 BMNZ has worked in Cook Islands, Tonga and Samoa (First Phase) and now in 2011 the programme intends to extend its rollout into other countries including the Vanuatu and Solomon Islands (Second Phase).

BMNZ operates by working with a local business organization as an Agent, and through the assistance of the Agent, applications by individual companies for business mentors will be received and processed. Successful companies will benefit from the services of business mentors who will travel to and from the country over a period of 12 months supporting the company in specific areas, mainly financial, administrative and marketing developments.

  SICCI Consulted on Proposed National University of Solomon Islands    

The Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry may soon be considering the issue of an education and training tax to support the establishment of the National University of the Solomon Islands. In an explorative meeting with the visiting Vice-Chancellor of the Fiji National University, Dr. Garnesh Chandra and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Shedrach Fanega on Wednesday 15 June 2011, the Chamber of Commerce were asked of its view if such a tax was. Although the query was unofficial, the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, Calvin Ziru informed Dr. Chandra that the issue of tax was an on-going concern to the business community, and that if ever this tax was officially proposed for consideration by the business community, the Chamber of Commerce would most definitely be looking at it, more so in light of other reforms where tax is an issue; the argument may be that if the business community were to consider an education and training tax, the government must be prepared to discuss the reduction of other provisions that affect the cost of doing businesses, including PAYE threshold and Annual Leave Passages

It is understood that following the explorative visit, Dr. Chandra will be supporting the development of a Cabinet paper on the proposed National University.

 SICCI Business Presentation with Pacific Arts Festival 

The Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry will soon receive a business presentation by the 11th Pacific Arts Festival Committee, currently chaired by Sir George Lepping. The Business Presentation (which is a business after 5 event of SICCI) will update the business community on the progress made by the Pacific Arts Festival to date. The Event will be held on 30 June 2011 and hosted and sponsored by NFD.