Two long-serving top bureaucrats, Peseta Noumea Simi and Leota Aliielua Salani, were reappointed by the cabinet last week to continue leading important government agencies.

Peseta Noumea Simi will continue in her role as Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) for a fourth three-year term. She first joined the public service in 1979 at the Prime Minister’s Office before moving to the Ministry of Finance and later to Foreign Affairs. 

With more than 40 years of service to the government, Peseta also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of New England.

Meanwhile, Leota Aliielua Salani has been reappointed as the Chief Government Statistician to head the Samoa Bureau of Statistics for the next three years. He was the only applicant for the role.

Leota has served with the Bureau for 33 years, including 15 years as Assistant Chief Executive. The selection panel highlighted his strong leadership in developing Samoa’s National Accounts Statistics, which are regarded as among the best in the Pacific region. 

He has also played key roles in the development of the Government Finance Statistics, Business Activity Surveys, and ensuring Samoa meets international standards such as the IMF’s General Data Dissemination System (GDDS).

The cabinet reappointments highlighted the government’s confidence in the leadership and experience of Peseta and Leota to continue steering Samoa’s foreign relations and national statistics.