Out of 136 board of directors in the country, 30.1 per cent are females.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, while highlighting this in Parliament on Monday, said he was responsible for appointing directors for a total of 23 Boards (13 public enterprises, nine statutory bodies, and Fiji Ports Corporation Pte Ltd) under the purview of the Ministry of Public Enterprises.
“The ministry appoints the 23 boards, it only has oversight over 13 public enterprises,” Mr Rabuka said.
He said there were a number of key initiatives the ministry took to ensure the effectiveness of boards.
“The ministry facilitates trainings for current and new directors.
“A recent corporate governance workshop was organised by Ministry of Public Enterprises with the assistance of PSDI under ADB, which was held at Holiday Inn on May 7, 2024.
“A total of 100 participants including board of directors, members of the executive management and company secretaries registered for this workshop.
“It is important that we continue upskilling our directors to equip them with the tools to navigate through Fiji’s vibrant business environment.
“The ministry and relevant entities are also carrying out the appropriate board inductions for newly appointed directors to ensure that these directors are well versed with their respective entities and the responsibilities expected of them during their tenure.”
Mr Rabuka said the ministry was also reviewing the 2009 Policy on Remuneration and benefits for directors of government commercial companies and commercial statutory authorities.
“This policy is outdated and requires considerable changes to attract the best directors.
“The ministry is also looking at possibly expanding the policy to become a uniform policy for all government boards across different ministries.”
