Prime Minister ‘Aisake Eke announced on Friday during a press conference that the Cabinet has revoked a previous decision allowing automatic extensions for board members of public enterprises.
These positions will be open for public applications but the prime minister did not provide details as to when the application process will start. But he said that current directors will end on March 15th and replacements start the next day.
This initiative reflects the government’s efforts to ensuring fair access to leadership roles and improving governance through increased public participation.
“The purpose is for transparency and to uphold people’s right to opportunities,” the Prime Minister stated, adding that current board members may reapply.
The Ministry of Public Enterprises (MPE) oversees 12 state-owned enterprises across various sectors, including utilities, transport, property and communications.
As the time of this report, the MPE website has not yet issued the call for applications.
Leading entities by financial performance in 2022 include:
- Tonga Power Limited (TPL) – $77.5 million in revenue, $1.4 million net profit.
- Tonga Communications Corporation (TCC) – $34.5 million in revenue, $301,000 net profit.
- Ports Authority Tonga (PAT) – $12.6 million in revenue, $1.47 million net profit.
- Tonga Water Board (TWB) – $10.2 million in revenue, $1.34 million net profit.
- Tonga Cable Limited (TCL) – $8.1 million in revenue, $1.9 million net profit.
In total, these enterprises generated T$164 million in revenue, with net profits of T$1.8 million.
