Minister for Public Enterprises Charan Jeath Singh has announced 23 new appointments to boards that oversee Fiji’s public enterprises and statutory bodies, saying the selections follow the process prescribed under the Public Enterprises Act 2019. The Ministry of Public Enterprises described the appointments as the result of a “thorough and transparent” selection process intended to bring professional expertise and governance experience to the entities concerned.
Among the most prominent placements is Filimone Waqabaca, named chairperson of Investment Fiji, with Kamlesh Kumar appointed as a board member of the same agency. The ministry singled out these appointments as central to bolstering strategic leadership at Fiji’s key investment promotion agency. Other notable appointments include Vineeta Nand to the board of Fiji Broadcasting Corporation Limited and Kirti Sharma and Rajendra Dass to the board of the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji.
The full list released by the ministry covers a wide range of government bodies and state-owned enterprises. Appointments include Ritesh Singh to Fiji Hardwood Corporation Limited; Harminder Singh to Food Processors Fiji Limited; Jitendra Kumar, Nividita Chand and Anil Prasad to Fiji Rice Limited; and Supreena Naidu to Yaqara Pastoral Company Limited. The Fiji Meat Industry Board will welcome Poasa Tabuaciri, Vishalni Kumaran and Soro Toutou, while Rajjat Chaudhary and Ashley Singh were named to the Pacific Fishing Company Limited board. Housing Authority appointees are Ben Naidu and Asheesh Dayal; the Public Rental Board picks are Krishneel Ram, Xiaozhang Du and Loi Turaga. Lawrence Kumar was named to the Land Transport Authority and Viren Kapadia to the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji.
The ministry said the new directors will strengthen governance and provide strategic oversight across the organisations, bringing skills and sector knowledge that align with the statutory criteria under the 2019 Act. It noted that candidates were assessed for qualifications, professional experience and governance capacity, though the ministry’s announcement did not specify term lengths or the effective dates for each appointment.
The appointments come against a backdrop of broader concerns about sectoral governance in Fiji. In mid-2024, public servants and stakeholders highlighted weaknesses and fragmentation in planning across agencies such as forestry and land management, arguing for more coherent leadership and oversight. The ministry framed the new board changes as part of the government’s response to those governance gaps, aiming to improve coordination and strategic direction at state-owned entities.
No immediate stakeholder reactions were included in the ministry’s release. The appointments will take effect as designated by the Ministry of Public Enterprises, which indicated it will continue to monitor board performance and governance standards across the portfolio of public enterprises.
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