The Fiji Council of Social Services has reported significant delays in the Cogea Relocation Project’s progress, attributing them to various issues hindering the relocation efforts.

Concerns raised by Wainunu’s district representative, Peni Matawalu, regarding the transparency and accountability of the $2.8 million funding from the Bread for the World organization have sparked widespread scrutiny.

These concerns come amid continued setbacks in the project timeline, prompting questions about the effective utilization of funds intended for the community’s relocation and resilience.

FCOSS Director Vani Catanasiga has responded by highlighting the complexities of climate financing, noting the incremental release of funds as a logistical challenge.

“Bread for the World has a very vigorous process for financing reporting because we do financial reporting, then it goes to their financial advisor. Bread for the World has financial reporting, then it goes to their financial advisor. After he is done with that, it is then given to an external audit firm, and once they clear that it is given to an external audit firm, and once they clear that it goes to Papua New Guinea, where is the Bread for the World Regional office, then it’s clear from there that it goes to Germany, which is the level of financial scrutiny that happens within this project. So once it passes that, we are able to get the next tranche, so we have two tranches already.”

Catanasiga also states that the consistently wet climate experienced in Wainunu district has posed further obstacles, slowing down construction and relocation processes as wet days are non-working days based on OHS grounds by Magnum Building & Construction services.

The Cogea Relocation Project remains a critical initiative in enhancing the resilience of Cogea villagers against natural disasters, and FCOSS has confirmed the extension of the completion of the project to June 2025.