‘The era of results begins today’: PM unveils new govt watchdog unit
The unit will act as a central oversight mechanism, tracking progress, identifying weaknesses, and driving improvements.
Tuesday 05 August 2025 | 01:30
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has announced the formation of a new Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Unit under his office — a sweeping move to tighten accountability across government and ensure every dollar spent delivers measurable results.
Speaking in Parliament, Rabuka declared: “The time for talk is over. The era for result-based governance begins today.”
The Cabinet-approved MEL Unit, endorsed on 3 June 2025, will act as a central oversight mechanism, tracking progress, identifying weaknesses, and driving improvements in how government delivers on its promises.
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“This decision reflects the growing public demand for accountability and measurable results of what Government does,” Rabuka told MPs.
The MEL Unit will coordinate across all ministries, working with the Ministry of Finance to ensure that national priorities outlined in the 2025–2029 National Development Plan and Vision 2050 are not only funded — but fulfilled.
“It not only monitors resource allocation, but also the outcomes and impacts, ensuring that every dollar spent delivers public value,” he said. “From economic growth projects to social programmes that aim to reduce poverty and support everyday citizens.”
Rabuka said the MEL Unit will function as “the nerve center” of this new approach, with regular updates going directly to Cabinet via a National Performance Dashboard. The system will track progress on everything from infrastructure and healthcare to poverty reduction and community development.
Importantly, all Permanent Secretaries’ contracts will now be linked to the achievement of national development targets. Ministries must align their strategic plans, budgets, and reporting to this new results-focused framework.
“This is not about adding bureaucratic layers,” Rabuka said, “but about strengthening checks and balance systems with the aim of making every part of Government more effective.”
The Unit is already being staffed using existing Monitoring and Evaluation officers from within Ministries, who will be transferred to the Prime Minister’s Office to reduce duplication and accelerate coordination.
“It is a mammoth task, but we will be resolute in our role because our people have demanded it,” the Prime Minister said.
The MEL system, Rabuka concluded, is about transforming talk into action — and ensuring government truly delivers for the people.
