The Solomon Islands Government has launched the expansion of the Gold Ridge Mine processing plant, positioning the project as a cornerstone of growth, jobs and exports. At a 13 August ceremony near Honiara, Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele called the works the “beginning of a new chapter,” with officials citing an investment of about SBD $6 billion.
Project briefings point to a tripling of processing capacity to 13.5 million tonnes per year and potential annual revenue of SBD $7.5 billion at full run-rate, alongside estimated contributions of SBD $2 billion to government coffers, SBD $400 million to landowners in royalties and dividends, and more than 1,200 direct jobs. Local media echoed those figures and framed the works as a flagship for the government’s diversification agenda.
Ownership remains a focal point for expectations around benefit-sharing and environmental safeguards. Gold Ridge Mining Ltd is controlled by Wanguo International Mining (70%), with AXF Resources (20%) and the landowner vehicle Gold Ridge Community Investment Ltd (10%). Community channels stressed in recent coverage signal the political importance of timely cashflows and visible local benefits after prior stoppages at the site.
The expansion coincides with moves to modernise the Minerals Resources framework, including clearer royalty rules, tailings oversight and compliance provisions, seen as critical for attracting stable capital where logistics, weather and social licence can swing project economics. Delivery risk persists around tailings management and artisanal activity, but policymakers argue that credible rules are now as important as ore grades in turning headline investment into durable exports.
If throughput and governance reforms land as planned, Gold Ridge could shift from a stop-start story to a reliable foreign-exchange earner, anchoring demand in local services from haulage to engineering and helping smooth fiscal volatility in a narrow economy.
Main pic: Gold Ridge mine in central Guadalcanal. Photo courtesy SIBC
