Fiji’s Town and Country Planning Department approved $2.26 billion worth of projects over the past three years, with approvals in 2025 alone reaching $840 million — the strongest year on record, Housing and Local Government Minister Maciu Nalumisa told Parliament last week. The figures, Nalumisa said, signal growing investor confidence and “economic momentum” underpinned by planning systems that are “disciplined” but not obstructive.
Speaking to lawmakers, Mr Nalumisa framed the approvals as proof that Fiji’s planning regime is enabling structured growth, but acknowledged that the current reliance on manual processes can slow progress. “Despite strong approval performance at the Town and Country Planning Department, we also acknowledge that manual processes can create delays and frustration,” he said. As a response, the Coalition Government will roll out an Online Building Permit Approval System later this year, the minister announced.
The new online permit platform is being designed to allow full digital submission of plans, provide real-time tracking of applications, and improve coordination between agencies involved in approvals. Nalumisa said the system’s aim is to reduce processing timelines and make the application journey more transparent for developers and municipal authorities. He described the move as part of a broader digital transformation intended to streamline approvals without compromising regulatory oversight.
In parallel, the ministry is developing a Unified Accounting System for all municipal councils. According to Nalumisa, the integrated finance platform will cover budgeting, revenue management, expenditure control, asset management and financial reporting. The reforms are presented not only as technological upgrades but as measures to strengthen transparency, enhance internal controls and improve the accuracy and timeliness of reporting to support better oversight and decision-making.
“This digital transformation is not simply a technological change — it is an institutional accountability in action,” Nalumisa told Parliament, stressing that modernised financial systems will help councils manage revenues and assets more effectively while providing clearer fiscal data to central government and stakeholders.
The minister’s announcement builds on a wider move by government agencies to digitise land and planning services. In November 2025 the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources launched Phase Two of its e-Plan Lodgement System, which enabled private surveyors and agencies to submit plans online and introduced online payments — reforms officials said reduced plan approval times substantially. Nalumisa’s online permit system and the Unified Accounting System are positioned as complementary initiatives that will speed project delivery and improve coordination between land, planning and municipal finance functions.
Officials have not yet published detailed rollout timetables or cost estimates for the two systems, and implementation will require coordination, training and system integration across several agencies and local councils. But the announcements mark a notable shift toward digital governance in Fiji’s planning and municipal finance spheres at a moment when project approvals are already at record levels — a combination ministers say should bolster investor confidence and support structured, trackable growth.
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