Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has announced the official establishment of a whole-of-government Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Unit under the Office of the Prime Minister, marking what he calls the start of a new era of results-driven governance and accountability.
In Parliament yesterday, Mr Rabuka responded to a question from Assistant Minister for Rural and Maritime Development Jovesa Vocea, outlining how the MEL Unit would serve as the central mechanism for evaluating government performance and delivering measurable outcomes for the Fijian people.
The PM emphasised that the MEL system will be “the central key to effective governance, enabling evidence-based decision-making across sectors from infrastructure and healthcare to poverty reduction and community development initiatives.”
“That decision reflects on the growing public demand for accountability and measurable results of what the Government does,” Mr Rabuka said.
“The National MEL Framework will operationalise government priorities and innovations that are stipulated in the National Development Plan 2025-2029. And Vision 2050.
“It not only monitors resource allocation but also the outcomes and impacts, ensuring every dollar spent delivers public value, from economic growth projects to social programs that aim to reduce poverty and support everyday citizens.”
To further reinforce accountability, he announced that the contracts of permanent secretaries would be tied directly to the achievement of development targets.
“To strengthen accountability, all PS contracts will be aligned with the achievement of the NDP targets and ministries will be required to align their strategic plans, their budgets and reports accordingly,” he said.
“A new whole-of-government monitoring system led from the Prime Minister’s Office in coordination with the Ministry of Finance will require regular reporting to inform Cabinet decisions.
“Because to ensure timely oversight at the highest level, the MEL Unit has been established immediately within the Office of the Prime Minister, allowing the Prime Minister and Cabinet to receive real-time updates on the progress of our National Development Plan.
“The Office of the Prime Minister is working on finalising the administrative issues and will coordinate closely with ministries for site transfers of existing monitoring and evaluation officers from within the ministries to the MEL Unit to support the implementation of the framework.”
