Ministry of Finance Kingdom of TONGA

31/08/2026

Nuku'alofa, Tonga | 27 August 2026
The Hon. Minister for Health, Dr. Siale Akauola, met with Mr. Nakhafi Hassan, Alternate Executive Director for the South-East Asia Group at the World Bank Group, as part of his official visit to the Kingdom of Tonga.
The meeting provided an opportunity for Mr. Hassan and the Minister to discuss the progress of the World Bank-supported health development projects under the Ministry of Health, including the Health Enhancement and Resiliency in Tonga (HEART) Project and the regional Pacific Health Systems Improvement and Transformation (PHIT) Project.

Read more: https://finance.gov.to/node/994

31/08/2026

Nuku'alofa, Tonga | 26 August 2026
The Hon. Minister for Education, Hon. Mo'ale Otunuku, met with Mr. Nakhafi Hassan, Alternate Executive Director for the South-East Asia Group at the World Bank Group, during his official visit to Tonga.
The meeting focused on the progress of World Bank-funded education project under the Ministry of Education, particularly the Tonga Safe and Resilient Schools Project (TSRSP). Discussions focused on the project's current implementation challenges and practical actions to improve project delivery.

Readmore: https://finance.gov.to/node/995

26/08/2026

Nuku’alofa, Tonga – 26 August 2026: The Minister for Finance, Hon. Vika Sivoki Lavemaau, met with Mr. Nakhafi Hassan, Alternate Executive Director for the South-East Asia Group at the World Bank Group, during his visit to Tonga to discuss matters important to the Bank’s future engagement and operations in the Kingdom.
The visit serves as a valuable platform to exchange views on key operational issues, recent regional engagements, and reform priorities at the Bank. AED Hassan will also meet with relevant Ministers overseeing World Bank-supported programmes and visit selected project sites.
The Minister welcomed and expressed appreciation for the World Bank’s longstanding partnership with Tonga, while underscoring the value of continued engagement in supporting Tonga’s national priorities and development aspirations.
AED Hassan is accompanied by Ms. ’Ilaisaane Lolo, Advisor to the Executive Director, who is serving her second year at the Office of the Executive Director for the South-East Asia Voting Group at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Senior officers from the Ministry of Finance (M*F) also joined the meeting.

26/08/2026

The Minister for Finance, Hon. Vika Sivoki Lavemaau, welcomed Mr. Parjiono, ADB Executive Director representing Tonga on the ADB Board of Directors, for a constructive discussion on Tonga’s development priorities and its partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on the Government’s priorities and policy direction, as well as the progress and performance of ADB-supported programmes in Tonga.
The Minister expressed Tonga’s appreciation for ADB’s continued partnership and support, and reaffirmed the importance of close dialogue to ensure ADB assistance remains aligned with Tonga’s priorities and development needs.
Mr. Parjiono was accompanied by his Advisor, Ms. Rosemary Hang, and Ms. Azusa Sato, Regional Director of ADB’s Pacific Subregional Office in Suva.

24/08/2026

As part of the Ministry of Finance's commitment to strengthening public financial management and enhancing the annual budget process, the Budget Division is undertaking a review of the FY2026 budget preparation process.
The review aims to capture lessons learned and gather valuable feedback from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on the budget guidelines, timelines, templates, and related processes. This feedback will help improve the budget preparation framework to ensure it remains efficient, transparent, and user-friendly for all stakeholders.
To support this initiative, the Budget Division has been conducting a series of talatalanoa sessions with MDAs across the Kingdom. Consultations with Tongatapu-based MDAs were held from 20 to 29 July 2026, while outreach to MDA branches in the Outer Islands is taking place from 17 to 28 August 2026.
The teams assigned to ‘Eua and Vava’u have successfully completed their consultations last week, while the Ha’apai team has commenced its outreach this week to continue engaging with stakeholders and gathering insights.
The Ministry of Finance sincerely appreciates the participation and contributions of all MDAs. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us build a more effective and responsive budget process that supports national development priorities and improves service delivery to the people of Tonga.

23/08/2026

Better Procurement. Better Governance. Better Outcomes for Tonga.

As part of the Government of Tonga’s ongoing Procurement Reform Programme, the Procurement Reform Adviser, Kelvin Ezekiel Kellie, MCIPS, FCIPS, has continued a series of outreach sessions across Government to engage directly with procurement teams, understand their challenges and identify practical opportunities for improvement.
Recent sessions have been held with His Majesty’s Palace Procurement Team, His Majesty’s Armed Forces, His Majesty’s Prisons, and the Ombudsman’s CEO and Procurement Team. These engagements form part of a wider programme of outreach meetings being conducted with more than 29 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) across the Government of Tonga.
The discussions focus on strengthening procurement capacity, improving compliance, promoting transparency and accountability, enhancing value for money, identifying training and technical support needs, and supporting a more efficient and responsive public procurement system.
The procurement reform support is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and delivered through the Tonga Australia Support Platform (TASP).
These outreach sessions are helping to ensure that procurement reforms are informed by the practical experiences, challenges and priorities of those responsible for delivering procurement across Government.

05/08/2026

The Ministry of Finance is pleased to publish the Citizens’ Budget Guide 2026/27, a simplified guide to help all Tongans better understand how public funds are raised, allocated, and spent under the government's annual budget. The Guide is designed to make budget information more accessible and transparent for citizens.
As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we have carefully considered feedback received from citizens, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders following the previous edition. Each year, we aim to make the Guide more useful, relevant, and responsive to the needs of its users.
A key enhancement in this year’s edition is the inclusion of major grant assistance programmes available under the 2026/27 Budget, together with information on the responsible ministries that citizens can contact for further details and access arrangements. This addition aims to strengthen public awareness of available support and improve access to government services and assistance programmes.

📖 Read the Citizen Budget Guide on our website:
🔗 https://finance.gov.to/index.php/node/991

03/07/2026

03/07/2026

Strengthening Public Finance on the Global Stage 🇹🇴

The Ministry of Finance is pleased to highlight the 2026 Small Countries Financial Management Programme (SCFMP), currently taking place in the Isle of Man. 🇮🇲

This prestigious international initiative brings together senior public finance professionals from small nations around the world. The programme focuses on strengthening executive leadership, financial management, and strategic policy development through collaboration, shared regional experiences, and direct learning from global experts.

Participation in the SCFMP is a vital opportunity for Tonga to exchange insights on modern fiscal challenges and bring back strategic value to our local public financial systems. We are proud to have Sivoki Lavemaau representing the Ministry of Finance and the Kingdom of Tonga at this year's forum, contributing our perspective to the global dialogue.

Read the full news article here:
https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/praise-for-small-countries-management-programme/

Photo credit: Manx Radio.

24/06/2026

Forum Economic Minister’s Meeting (FEMM) 22-25 June 2026, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands (Majuro)

The Forum Economic Ministers’ Meeting commenced today, Monday, June 22, 2026, in Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands. The meeting is being held in a hybrid format and began with Senior Officials discussing key issues before they are submitted to the ministerial meeting for approval.
Tonga’s delegation is led by Mrs. Kilisitina Tuaimei’api, CEO of the Ministry of Finance, and Mr. Tatafu Moeaki, Governor of the National Reserve Bank of Tonga, who are both present to support this regional platform. The meeting is chaired by Ms. Ayako Yamaguchi-Eliou, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Banking, and Postal Services of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Key agenda items for discussion include the Resilience Facility (PRF), the ongoing fuel and energy crisis and its impact on the Pacific region, the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, the Review of the Regional Architecture (RRA), the Pacific Regional Private Sector Strategy Implementation Plan, financial integration for resilience and access, and climate change and disaster preparedness.

Pacific Strengthening Correspondent Banking Relationships (CBR) Project Steering Committee Meeting

The second Project Steering Committee Meeting for the Pacific Strengthening Correspondent Banking Relationships (CBR) Project was held as the final agenda item on the first day of the FEMM 2026 meeting
The meeting discussed the projects progress, including the feasibility study of the Pacific Payments Mechanism, the CBR Service Provider initiative, technical assistance on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism, support for payment systems, the CBR Resilience Index, data collection efforts, and activities of the Project Management Unit. As Pacific economies deal with a complex global environment, strengthening access to correspondent banking services is a top priority. This project supports the implementation of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, particularly its vision for a resilient and integrated Pacific region. Such a region is connected to global markets, backed by secure and inclusive financial systems, and capable of advancing sustainable economic development for the peoples of the Pacific.