FIJI’S Public Service Commission (Commission) has announced the appointment of five permanent secretaries.
The appointments are in the Ministry of Defence and National Security, Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport, Disaster Management and Meteorological Services; Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources; Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation; and the Ministry of Local Government.
PSC chairperson Vishnu Mohan said those appointments were made with the agreement of the Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama.
“The selection and appointment of these new permanent secretaries followed an extensive open merit recruitment and selection process conducted by the Commission with the assistance of the recruitment company NGS Global,” Mr Mohan said in a statement.
The appointments:
Ministry of Defence and National Security new PS Manasa Lesuma. Picture: SUPPLIEDNational Fire Authority CEO Manasa Lesuma is the new permanent secretary for the Ministry of Defence and National Security.
Mr Lesuma previously served as the Deputy Secretary for Operations in the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport from 2011 to 2018.
He is an engineer by profession with a good appreciation of the Fijian landscape.
As CEO of NFA, Mr Lesuma has proactively led major reforms, particularly the expansion of the ‘footprint’ of the NFA and more efficient delivery of services.
Mr Mohan says Mr Lesuma will take up his position as soon as he can separate from the NFA.
Civil engineer Taitusi Vakadravuyaca is the new PS for the Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport, Disaster Management and Meteorological Services.
He returns to the ministry having started his career there in the then-Public Works Department.
Mr Vakadravuyaca has relevant experiences in Fiji’s land and water resource management groups, and the transition from the National Roads group to the Fiji Roads Authority (FRA).
He was also the Project Civil Engineer for FEA’s Nadarivatu Hydropower Project.
For the past five years, Mr Lesuma has had roles in the Water Authority in Fiji, and currently shares acting CEO responsibility with his peers.
UNDP country coordinator for the Development of Minerals Program Josefa Caniogo is the new PS for the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources.
Mr Caniogo started his career as a draftsman with what was the Native Land Trust Board, and then had 10 years as a supervisor of roads and quarries with the then-Ministry of Infrastructure and Utilities.
He then moved into the commercial sector in 2000 as a Business Development Manager for Orica Coatings, was a Terminal Manager for Shell Fiji and was then with Fiji Holdings Limited.
He has been in his present role with the UNDP for the past three years.
Lawyer Jovilisi Suveinakama is the new PS for the Ministry of Local Government.
Mr Suveinakama spent two years as a Solicitor in Fiji having been admitted to the High Court of Fiji and later the Supreme Court of Samoa.
From 2003 to 2017, he was an Advisor, and then the general manager and coordinator of Tokelau’s National Public Service.
In the process, Mr Suveinakama acquired experience in advising and coordinating complex arrangements and played an important role in the evolution of government systems and processes in this remote island territory.
He completed his work in Tokelau in 2017 and returned home to Fiji where he has been working with and advising his indigenous landowning unit in the Suva area on their strategic plan and its implementation.
Medical Services Pacific founder Jennifer Poole is the new PS for the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation.
Ms. Poole started her career as a program coordinator with Care Australia and was then posted to Bosnia where she delivered UN-funded construction and aid projects.
Her career progressed with roles based in Australia and postings to other conflict zones as emergency services program manager, consultant, peace-building advisor and county program manager.
This included nearly three years in the Solomon Islands, as well as postings in Lesotho, Banda Aceh (following the tsunami), Pakistan and Afghanistan.
At present, Ms Poole leads Medical Services Pacific, an organisation she founded in Fiji as a national and regional NGO.
