FNU’s Pro Vice-Chancellor TVET Pasifika and NTPC, Dr Isimeli Tagicakiverata alongside the OCO Head of Secretariat, Nancy Oraka during the signing of the five-year MOU.

Fiji National University (FNU) has taken a significant step forward in advancing customs education and training in the Pacific region with the signing of two strategic partnerships at the FNU Namaka Campus.

This was through an official signed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the FNU and the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies (CCES), alongside the signing of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between FNU and the Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO).

OCO Head of Secretariat, Nancy Oraka shared that the signing of the MOU now created a seamless educational pathway for customs officers, extending from Certificate level qualifications through to Diploma, Bachelor’s Degree, and potentially Master’s level studies in the future.

Oraka said the programmes to be developed which included the revised Diploma in Customs and the new Bachelor’s in Customs and Border Management programme, would now be offered at rates that would be more affordable for Pacific Islander students, with costs denominated in Fijian dollars.

“This approach aligns perfectly with our commitment to removing barriers to professional development for customs officers across our region,” she said.

“This collaboration will help ensure that our customs officers have access to the education and training they need to meet the evolving challenges of border management in the 21st century, while maintaining the high professional standards established in the OCO Professional Standards Framework.

“We’re very grateful for our strong partnership with Charles Sturt University’s CCES and I would like to acknowledge their strong support. They’ve done great work helping to train customs officers in our region, especially with their certificate courses that match our Pacific standards.”

She said having both universities involved meant that Pacific customs officers would now be able to access more complete and locally and relevant training options.

CCES Chief Executive Officer, Professor David Widdowson added that he witnessed the progress of this program for quite some time.

FNU’s Pro Vice-Chancellor TVET Pasifika and NTPC, Dr Isimeli Tagicakiverata with the CCES Chief Executive Officer, Professor David Widdowson at the signing of the MOA.

“In 1998, I was here in Fiji, and we were having discussions with FIT (Fiji Institute of Technology, now known as the Fiji National University) as it was at the time to implement a certificate program,” said Professor Widdowson.

“I’m a patient man, 26 years later, here we are bringing those threads together with FNU and OCO to actually achieve a Bachelor’s program, but more importantly, the Pacific centre for border management, and this will be a centre of excellence for border management.”

FNU’s Pro Vice-Chancellor TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) Pasifika and NTPC (National Training and Productivity Centre), Dr Isimeli Tagicakiverata highlighted that the programmes would be available to both Fiji and the broader region, targeting customs officers, industry employees, and school leavers.

“Together, we will accomplish many great things for our students,” said Dr Tagicakiverata.