The Public Service Commission has announced the appointment on promotion of Mr Ropate Ligairi as the Permanent Secretary for Agriculture.
The position of Permanent Secretary for Agriculture became vacant following the resignation of Mr Mason Smith in June this year.
The Permanent Secretary for Agriculture is responsible for the enhancement of food and income security through agricultural sector growth. He is also responsible for the research in crop and animal production, the dissemination of the research result to farmers and the coordination of sustainable development.
The incumbent is required to ensure the appropriate prioritisation of agricultural programmes given the available funding; ensuring an appropriate framework to promote best-practice agricultural sector development and the undertaking of innovative measures to achieve increased outputs and realize greater food and standards set by the WTO and are of a high quality.
Mr Ropate Ligairi, has spent 31 years with the Ministry having started as a Field Assistant in 1981. He was promoted to Agricultural Extension Office in 1983 then moved to the Fiji College of Agriculture where he was a Lecturer in 1989 then a Senior Lecturer and Principal of the College in 2002. In 2009 he was promoted to Divisional Agricultural Officer Northern than Director Extension 2010 until his promotion to his current position as Deputy Secretary Agriculture Development on 17/04/12.
Mr. Ligairi holds a Master of Commerce specialising in Management and Public Administration from the University of the South Pacific (USP), a Master of Science in Development Training and Education from the University of Wolverhampton and a Bachelor of Agriculture in 1981 from the USP.
As the Public Service Commission’s “Delegate” and “Chief Accounting Officer”, the Permanent Secretary will be required to effectively and efficiently manage their Ministry’s Human and Financial Resources. He must ensure the development of a competent and motivated workforce and the provision of policy advice to government including the coordination of statutes and regulations that are applicable to the sector.
As Permanent Secretary, Mr Ligairi will be required to exercise prudence and accountability in the management of the Ministry’s finance and assets and adhere to the reporting requirements. The focus on customer service and public relations is essential and must be a primary concern in the delivery of services.
Mr Serulagilagi stated that Mr Ligairi had demonstrated his capability and given his extensive experience and technical proficiency in the respective specialised fields, is the best candidate for the Permanent Secretary post.
Mr Ropate Ligairi is contracted for a period of three years effective from 16/07/12.
-End-