Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt announced a two-week government shutdown over the holidays, the rollout of all 51 district council chairs and new project staff under the District Development Programme in 2026, a mandatory drug-testing policy for government workers, and measures to maintain power supply during ongoing electricity challenges. 

Laaulialemalietoa said all 51 district chairs and the five new project staff roles per district involved in the District Development Programme (DDP) are expected to be confirmed by December 23. He said the Government intends for all fono fa‘avae to begin operating from January 12, the same day public servants return from the year-end shutdown.

He also confirmed that districts with remaining balances of $300,000 and that "$10 million in district-related funds is still with the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development."

Laaulialemalietoa also addressed the major drug bust over the weekend involving the Minister of Customs driver, which he said highlights Samoa’s limited scanning capacity at ports and airports.

“Even the scanning machine at Faleolo cannot scan illegal drugs,” he said. “We should have prepared X-rays a long time ago.” He also said  that the Ministry of Customs and Police will be working together on the investigation.

“At the moment, the setup is not sufficient. We need a proper scanner because we don’t currently have a pallet scanner. On Saturday, a small scanner was used, and that’s how the illegal drugs were detected.”

Laaulialemalietoa said the cabinet has also approved a new mandatory drug-testing policy for all government workers. “Anyone working for the government will be tested,” Laaulialemalietoa said. “It is for the protection of everyone.” He added that several police officers have been dismissed for drug use.

On Samoa’s ongoing power issues, the Prime Minister said the government is still leasing generators at a cost of about $200,000 a month to maintain supply during the holiday period. He said full generation capacity is expected to be restored by 2027 or 2028 following major upgrades.

Alongside these updates, the Prime Minister confirmed that the Government will shut down for two full weeks, from December 29 to January 12. He stressed that the shutdown applies only to government ministries, with private businesses and non-government agencies operating as normal. Essential services, including electricity, water, hospitals and emergency services, will remain open.