Japan Government

Japanese Ambassador Kensaku Munenaga and Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni signed a contract last week.

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai Disaster Recovery and Resilience Building Plan 2022-2025, announced by the Prime Minister on March 8, stated that the fisheries industry is suffering from considerable damages by the tsunami.

Sovaleni said many fishing boats were destroyed and lost in the January volcanic eruption and tsunami, as was relating equipment and facilities, costing millions.

The new building is part of the $56 million Pa’anga Nationwide Early Warning System (NEWS) Project.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister and  Minister for Tourism and Infrastructure, Semisi Sika said the building will replace the first-ever broadcasting studio building for Tonga that was commissioned by Her Late Majesty Queen Salote Tupou III in 1961.

“Such milestone work was established with the primary purpose to deliver radio and now television programmes to entertain, educate and inform the audience.”

Vava’u will have four of these vehicles which include two collection waste vehicles, one dump truck, and one septic truck.

Ha’apai will receive one waste collection truck.

The Minister of Health, Saia Piukala, said the vehicles would help the government establish a reliable waste management system.

“Waste Authority Ltd has successfully introduced effective waste management in Tongatapu, but the outer islands have yet to experience the same advantage,” Piukala said.

The project was funded through Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects, GGP.

Mr. Yukio Numata, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Kingdom of Tonga attended the commissioning ceremony along with His Eminence, Cardinal Mafi late last week.

Present also at the ceremony were Mr. Tatafu Moeaki, CEO of the Ministry of Finance and National Planning and Mr. Soane Vahe, Director of Catholic Education and members of the Parents and Teachers’ Association for ‘Apifo’ou College.