Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka met with the Samoan counterpart, the Minister for Public Enterprises Leatinuu, Wayne Sooilo today to explore areas of potential collaboration in the public enterprises sector between Fiji and Samoa.
This comes as both countries seek to enhance cooperation in public enterprise management and development, marking an important step toward regional partnership.
The Prime Minister emphasised Fiji’s commitment to advancing cooperation that supports sustainable economic growth and development in the region.
In the meeting, Rabuka 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 the 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 focused on key areas such as Fiji’s public enterprise financial performance, policies and reforms, and governance initiatives, to name just a few.
Rabuka reiterated the need for stronger partnerships and opportunities in the public enterprises sector and, at the same time, highlighted the importance of regional development, good governance, and better utilization of government resources to improve services to citizens.
Minister Sooilo 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- State-owned entities in Samoa, among other important issues.
