The Accident Compensation Commission Fiji (ACCF) has saved the government half a million dollars by not appointing a Chief Executive Officer since 2024, its Chair Maritino Nemani told Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee yesterday.
Appearing before the Committee for a review of the commission’s performance, Mr Nemani outlined key cost-cutting measures that have delivered total savings of nearly $1.4 million. A major portion of that came from the decision not to replace the outgoing CEO.
“From all of 2024 until now, ACCF has been operating efficiently without a CEO. That’s another half a million dollars in savings for the government,” Mr Nemani said.
He clarified that the decision was not due to any shortcomings of the former CEO, but rather a strategic choice to streamline operations.
“Let me be clear, I am not questioning the quality of the former CEO. He was the right fit at the time and laid important foundations,” he said.
“But what we learned through that process is that we can manage better, more efficiently, and at lower cost, without compromising the quality of service.”
The ACCF Chair also cited the cancellation of a contract with private enforcement firm Varitas as another major cost-saving move.
“The enforcement role Varitas was contracted for was still being handled by the Ministry. So, continuing that contract didn’t make financial sense. Ending it saved us around $900,000,” he explained.
Mr Nemani said the commission has since restructured its internal systems, with most functions now handled by a small in-house team—many of whom are working without additional allowances.
“Most of us in this room are delivering proper services, and no one is getting paid anything extra,” he said.
“The board made a conscious decision to streamline operations and bring some functions back to the Ministry. We’ve rebuilt the system more efficiently and much faster than before.”
The ACCF’s leadership model, which forgoes a traditional CEO structure, is being closely watched as a potential example of lean, cost-effective governance.
