Prime Minister and Minister for Public Enterprises Hon. Sitiveni Rabuka met with the Samoan Minister for Public Enterprises Hon. Leatinuu Wayne Sooilo today to explore areas of potential collaboration in the public enterprises sector between the two nations.
This is the first of such meeting and is an important step towards regional partnerships between Fiji and Samoa as both countries seek to enhance cooperation in public enterprise management and development.
Prime Minister Rabuka welcomed the Samoan delegation to our shores and emphasized Fiji’s commitment to advancing cooperation that supports sustainable economic growth and development in the region.
The PM provided an overview of Fiji’s Ministry of Public Enterprises, highlighting its role in guiding the development and oversight of Fiji’s 13 public enterprises, which represent a total asset base of $1.09 billion.
The Fiji Ministry of Public Enterprises is governed by the Public Enterprises Act 2019 which replaced the Public Enterprises Act 1999 under which then then SVT Coalition established the Ministry and commenced public enterprise reforms in Fiji.
The Ministry has a multifaceted mandate to monitor the performance of public enterprises, oversee governance, and implement public enterprise reforms.
Discussions also focused on key areas such as Fiji’s public enterprise financial performance, policies and reforms and governance initiatives, to name just a few.
The Prime Minister, in his concluding remarks, reiterated the need for stronger partnerships and opportunities in the public enterprises sector, at the same time, highlighted the importance of regional development, good governance and better utilization of government resources to improve services to citizens.
In his remarks, Hon. Sooilo thanked the Prime Minister for the opportunity to meet and discuss opportunities for further collaboration.
The Samoan Minister for Public Enterprises said the visit was also an opportunity to learn more from the Fiji Ministry of Public Enterprises and understand strategic ways of addressing challenges faced by similar State- Owned Entities in Samoa, among other important issues.
Also present at the meeting were the Principal Advisor to the Minister, Ms. Lisi Maranata Iosefo, the Chief Executive Officer for the Samoa Ministry of Public Enterprises Ms Tooala Elita and the Acting Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Entities Monitoring Ms. Faafetai Golovale-Leiofi.
