Three senior public servants have been sworn in as Acting Permanent Secretaries to lead key government ministries until substantive appointments are made.
They took their oaths in office before Governor-General Sir David Tiva Kapu, Friday.
The appointments are:
Julia Twumasi – Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Police, National Security and Correctional Services.
Mike Qaqara – Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Infrastructure Development.
Dr Gregory Loki Jilini – Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Medical Services.
The three will serve in an acting capacity until permanent appointments are made.
Twumasi brings more than two decades of experience in the national security sector, having served as Deputy Secretary – Corporate Services at the Ministry of Police, National Security and Correctional Services since 2020.
Her responsibilities have included finance, human resources, procurement, corporate planning, governance and risk management.
She holds a Master of Business Administration and several postgraduate qualifications in business administration and finance, as well as a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of the South Pacific.
Qaqara is an experienced civil engineer and infrastructure executive with more than 25 years of experience in engineering, transport planning, project management and public sector administration.
Prior to his appointment, he served as Deputy Secretary (Technical) at the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, where he oversaw major transport infrastructure programmes and donor-funded projects supported by the Solomon Islands Government and international development partners.
He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from the Papua New Guinea University of Technology, a Mini MBA from the Australian Institute of Management, and a Certificate IV in Project Management.
Dr Jilini is a public health physician with more than 20 years of experience in health administration at both national and provincial levels.
He has held senior leadership roles in public health, hospital management and health policy development, and currently chairs a number of professional boards and technical committees.
Dr Jilini also holds a Master of Public Health from the University of New South Wales and a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the Fiji School of Medicine.
The Government says the appointments ensure leadership continuity in three of the Government’s key ministries while the recruitment process for substantive Permanent Secretaries continues.
