THE newly appointed Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) Dr Samson Viulu wasted no time announcing his priority for the ministry to carry head-on when he resumes duty next week.
Dr Viulu took his oath of office and allegiance before the Acting Governor General Patteson Oti at the Government House yesterday.
The new PS takes his appointment seriously, stating that his immediate priority is to push through with regulations for the Constituency Development Fund Act which covers the proper management and administration of the fund.
“The CDF Act Reform will also cover the establishment of relevant institutes in the constituencies for the decentralization of government services to our rural people so that there is further positive impact on the disbursement and use of the CDF,” Dr Viulu said
He said the reform will also see the expansion of the functions of the Ministry of Rural Development.
The new PS expressed anticipation to see the CDF as an engine for the economic growth of the country and said he believes this can be achieved through establishing a proper regulatory framework for the CDF.
Previously, Dr Viulu served as livestock officer in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) before going for further studies in Japan where he graduated with a MSc and PhD in Agricultural Science.
After graduating with PhD from Gifu University in Japan, he worked in various institutes in Japan before joining the University of South Pacific (USP) in Suva, Fiji in 2016 where he worked as a research fellow for three years.
In 2019, he resigned from the USP and returned to Solomon Islands and served in the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet as the Policy Secretary of the Productive Sector.
As the head of the Productive Sector, Dr Viulu looked after seven ministries and these were the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL), Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT), Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration (MCILI), Ministry of Lands, Housing & Survey (MLHS), Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR), Ministry of Communication and Aviation (MCA) and Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID).
He said he is happy to be part of the team at MRD and looks forward to working closely with the Minister Duddley Kopu and his new colleagues.
He thanked his predecessor Allan Daonga for his leadership over the past years.
Dr Viulu first graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture from USP, Samoa and later with a Master of Science and a Doctorate in Agriculture Science from Gifu University in Japan.
Dr Viulu is married to a Malaitan and has three children.
The duration of his new appointment is four years.
A program to formally welcome the new PS by staff of MRD to the ministry is arranged for early next week.
