The Housing Authority (HA) and Public Rental Board (PRB) now have a new chairperson and five directors as part of a board revamp to enable the expansion of affordable housing stock for purchase and rent for Fijians at all levels of income.
According to Fijian Government, the newly-appointed members offer decades of experience in the private sector, legal field, and community development. Their combined experience will strengthen the realisation of the organisations’ mandates to create more home-owning opportunities and access to housing for Fijian families.
Viliame Vodonaivalu, the current chief executive officer of the Fiji National Provident Fund, has been appointed as the Board chairperson. His strategic nous — honed over decades in the financial services sector will strengthen the management and operational efficiency of the HA and PRB.
The new appointees at the Director level are as follows:
- Saud Minam — Mr Minam is the CEO of the Fiji Development Bank and the former CEO and Head of Commercial Banking Pacific for ANZ Fiji & Pacific. He will bring over 20 years of strategic and commercial lending experience that will enhance the commercial and development operations of the HA and PRB.
- Renee Duguivalu — Ms Duguivalu is an experienced civil engineer with Hamen Lodhia Engineers Pte Limited. She was formerly a Housing Engineer with the Ministry of Local Government, Urban Development, Housing & Environment, and an Engineering Technician for Weseng Consulting Limited.
- Susan Naidu — Ms Naidu is Assistant General Manager Strategic and Community Development at the Model Towns commonly known as Koroipita. Her background is in the community housing development where she has consistently demonstrated a high-level understanding of the dynamics around the social aspects of housing.
- Florence Takinana — Ms Takinana is a Senior Legal Officer at the Office of the Solicitor-General. She has extensive legal experience with trade, commerce and investment and is part of the PPP for Affordable Housing Project spearheaded by the Ministry of Housing and Community Development.
- Anil Prasad — Mr Prasad is a Principal-Agent with Propmate Realty and a Quality Assurance Officer at Paradise Beverages Fiji Ltd. Through his experience in the real estate industry, he has developed a strong capacity for valuation and marketing.
Among the immediate priorities of the new Board appointees, the Housing Authority and Public Rental Board will be pursuing a public-private partnership with the International Finance Corporation for affordable housing. The partnership, run in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Housing and Community Development, aims to enlist international private sector expertise in the delivery of affordable housing development projects in Fiji. The Housing Authority will now also seek to support the Government’s commitment to sub-divide and develop informal settlements to offer residents of these communities the security of long-term tenure.
“The vision of the Fijian Government is to make home ownership achievable for every Fijian and rental rate affordable for those who do not have access to immediate housing. Our new appointees bring a breadth and depth of strategic management experience that will help the PRB and HA deliver on that vision for the benefit of thousands of Fijian families.
Both organisations will explore a wide range of partnerships in the public and private sectors to make quality, modern, and affordable housing a reality across the country,” said the AG and Minister for Housing and Community Development, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
The AG also thanked the former members of the HA and PRB Board of Directors after receiving their resignation on Monday, October 25, 2021.
