The Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development today announced the appointments of Mr. Mesake Ledua as Divisional Commissioner Western and Mr. Vitale Varo as Divisional Commissioner Eastern. These are senior management appointments within the Ministry and two out of four Divisional Commissioner positions across government.
Inducting the new Commissioners yesterday, Minister for Rural and Maritime Development, Dr. Mahendra Reddy, informed of the Hon. Prime Minister’s endorsement of the appointments and his expectations that the Commissioners will align to government’s priorities for rural development in meeting basic needs and provision of essential services.
Speaking to the new Commissioners today in the presence of other senior management team members, Minister Reddy said, “The structure of this Ministry which includes the Commissioners is very important in rural development and disaster risk management”.
“People’s priorities are our priorities. These are in the areas of water, sanitation, roads, education, health, and electricity.”
Dr. Reddy added that the Divisional Commissioners needed to fast track development in these priority areas without compromising quality of service to their rural and agricultural customer base.
Permanent Secretary for Rural and Maritime Development, David Kolitagane said the Ministry was glad to fill these vacant leadership positions after a robust recruitment process based on the Open-Merit Recruitment and Selection system. One of the key expectations that he has of the new Commissioners is to drive change management within their respective Divisions that will reflect on improved efficiency, better service delivery and excellent customer service.
As Divisional Commissioners, Mr. Varo and Mr. Ledua will play an integral role in the mainstreaming of the Integrated Rural Development Framework and in coordinating disaster operations of Government at divisional level. They will provide leadership in the development and implementation of Divisional Development Plans and performance targets across sectors aligned to the National Development Plan.
Mr. Mesake Ledua brings 30 years of experience through various positions and executive roles at the Ministry of Education, iTaukei Land Trust Board (iTLTB) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
His most recent roles include iTLTB Regional Manager South Western; First Secretary at the Fiji Embassy Brussels, Belgium & the European Union; and Deputy Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Ledua holds a degree in land management and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, both from the University of the South Pacific.
The new Commissioner Eastern, Mr. Vitale Varo, has had 23 years of extensive experience in various roles at the Ministry of Health and Medical Services culminating most recently as the Divisional Health Inspector within the Central Division for the past 7 years.
With other past senior roles in public health in both urban and rural spaces, Mr. Varo brings a wealth of experience in operationalizing human development and community welfare initiatives of Government. He holds an undergraduate degree in environmental health from the Fiji National University and a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning and Management from the University of Western Sydney.
Mr. Ledua has commenced duties as Commissioner Western from 16th March, whilst Mr. Varo will assume his role as Commissioner Eastern from 24th March 2020.