PM Rabuka Announces Realignment of Key Ministerial Portfolios

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has announced a major realignment of ministerial responsibilities, confirming that Hon. Esrom Immanuel has officially assumed the role of Minister for Finance, Commerce and Business Development as of 3 November 2025.

The Prime Minister said the appointment and restructuring are part of efforts to streamline government functions and improve coordination across economic and administrative portfolios.

Hon. Immanuel’s new ministry will take on duties previously managed by both the Ministry of Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics, and the Ministry of Trade, Cooperatives, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, and Communications.

Under the new structure, the Ministry of Finance will now operate as a standalone ministry. The functions of Strategic Planning, National Development, and Statistics will remain under the Prime Minister’s portfolio. External trade responsibilities will be transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while cooperatives, investment, micro, small and medium enterprises, domestic trade, national trade measurement and standards, and business development will now come under the newly created Ministry of Commerce and Business Development.

Communications will now fall under the Ministry of Policing, with Hon. Ioane Naivalurua serving as the Minister for Policing and Communications.

The Prime Minister also confirmed that the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister will coordinate with the Permanent Secretary for Finance, the Public Service Commission, and the Permanent Secretaries for Trade, Policing, and Foreign Affairs to ensure a smooth transition of staffing and budgetary responsibilities.