The Fiji Coalition Government remains committed to restoring the Public Works Department (PWD), a process that the Minister for Infrastructure, Ro Filipe Tuisawau, says will take up to three years.
Responding to questions in Parliament about shifting responsibilities between the Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) and the PWD, Tuisawau confirmed that the revival of PWD is on track. He reiterated that both FRA and PWD will have distinct but complementary roles: the FRA will manage national roads, while PWD will take over rural infrastructure.
PWD will be responsible for managing and maintaining rural roads once it is fully resourced, including staffing and the re-establishment of rural depots. In the meantime, FRA will continue overseeing both national and rural road networks.
“Over the years, it has become increasingly evident that rural roads, especially those in remote and less accessible areas, have not received adequate attention,” Tuisawau said. “That situation led to a strategic Government decision to revive PWD, whose original role is still legally preserved under the Roads Act 1914, which was never repealed when the Fiji Roads Authority Act 2012 came into force.
Tuisawau also acknowledged development partners supporting the transition.
“Japan is standing by to assist with resourcing our depots, which is the first stage,” he said. “So, if we resource those depots, we have some machinery right now that have worked through a few areas, including the maritime and some of the interior areas and complementing FRA. We have the correct synergy to produce that maximum or optimum output, which will be a good arrangement.”
Under the new arrangement, all rural roads—defined as those outside town and city boundaries—will fall under PWD’s jurisdiction. FRA will gradually phase out its involvement in new rural road construction, focusing instead on the maintenance, upgrading, and expansion of national roads. Eventually, PWD, through the Department of National Roads, will also oversee national road policies and set construction and maintenance standards across Fiji.
During debate, Opposition MP Alvick Maharaj raised concerns over capacity, questioning why the Cabinet declined a request for over 700 new PWD staff. Tuisawau said the department would be resourced gradually, with support through internal transfers.
Parliament also revisited the dismantling of the PWD in previous years. Tuisawau said the disbandment resulted in the loss of hundreds of skilled workers and millions of dollars’ worth of equipment. An asset inventory revealed that over 100 pieces of equipment, valued at $8.6 million, were transferred from PWD.
