There must be excitement in Siumu with the British monarch King Charles III requesting an audience with the villagers who would host him for his stay in October.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting takes place next month. Time has flown by. It seems as if it was only yesterday when it was announced that Samoa would host the international meet.

This is history in the making. King Charles III will become the first British monarch to stay more than a day in Samoa and Siumu will go down in the history books as the village the royal called home, even for a brief moment.

From the children to the village elders would now be aware of the role they need to play when the King arrives. The homes in the village must be getting upgraded. The village's infrastructure such as roads and other utilities would be put on the checklist. The beautification initiatives must have moved into a 24/7 mode. The young men and women would be rehearsing to give their best performance.

If anything, the preparations in Siumu would be nothing short of befitting a king.

Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa announced on Tuesday that King Charles requested to visit Siumu. Sinalei Resort in Maninoa Siumu will host the head of the Commonwealth head and the village of Siumu has also adopted the United Kingdom under the beautification initiative.

The hype for CHOGM is slowly building up. The excitement and eagerness to host the event can be seen in the hard work being put in by villages as part of their initiative to make their village look the best. Each village has been given a country to host.

Each day, men, women and children are seen hard at work. They are either planting, painting or doing some odd job that is part of their plan. Most of these villages have not spared any change and are going to great lengths to prepare for CHOGM.

Vaitele paid a sculptor to craft three statues and paid the landscaping team from the University of the South Pacific to do some work. Murals have been painted as well. Lepea has paid for billboards, done beautification work and all the roofs of the houses are getting a new coat of paint of a uniform colour.

Villages like Lufilufi are doing little roadside gardens. Every village is doing something. They are not waiting for funds to come from the government but have used their money for these projects.

The nation is working together to host a successful CHOGM. This could end up being the secret behind the success of the October event. There will be three monarchs present in the country at one time. Along with King Charles, King of Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, and King of Eswatini Mswati III will be here.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is the longest serving monarch after Queen Elizabeth III. Mswati III is Ngwenyama (King) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family. He heads Africa's last absolute monarchy.

It would be great if each of the heads of nations could take a little time and visit the villages tasked to play hosts. It would lift spirits in the villages but that remains the prerogative of each delegation.

The CHOGM will boost the economy. The government has invested $40 million and there has been input from donor partners. The forecasted benefit to the nation in terms of monetary revenue is over $300 million.

Land-based accommodations in accredited hotels/motels and private homes cater for about 2000 rooms. Sea-based accommodation on the cruise liner MV Explorer provides about 1000 rooms.

The government can be proactive with weekly briefings on the works that are completed and what remains to be done. This will make people feel they are part of the event and will do their best to help the government with their projects.

The government also needs to remember that while CHOGM will be given main priority, other key components of the government machinery must still go ahead and not stop.

Let us look forward to a successful CHOGM.