The Fiji National University (FNU) will be establishing a Pacific Centre of Excellence for Border Management and Related Studies in Fiji by the end of this year.

FNU Vice-Chancellor Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba shared this instrumental news during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FNU’s College of Business, Hospitality, and Tourism Studies (CBHTS) and the Charles Sturt University’s Centre of Customs and Excise Studies (CCES) earlier this week.

“This partnership with CCES will allow FNU to establish a Pacific Centre of Excellence for Border Management and Related Studies in Fiji that will be the hub for cutting-edge research and best practices, tackling the specific border management issues and opportunities facing Pacific Island nations,” she said.

“We will be launching this centre before the year ends and rolling out classes from Semester 1 of 2025.”

This MoU establishes a strategic partnership aimed at enhancing FNU’s educational offerings and research capabilities in the field of customs and border management in the Pacific.

Professor Nabobo-Baba further added that this partnership with CCES will assist FNU in achieving international accreditation from the World Customs Organisation (WCO).

“This will ensure our Customs and Border Management programmes meet the highest global standards,” she said.

Centre of Customs and Excise Studies (CCES) Chief Executive Officer, Professor David Widdowson, said he looks forward to working with FNU to fully achieve the potential of a Pacific Centre of Excellence for Border Management in the Pacific.

“It has been a long journey, a long journey of 26 years, and today marks a significant turning point, and it gives me enormous pleasure to be representing the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies and formally partnering with FNU,” Professor Widdowson said.

“We are starting to build internationally accredited programmes in Fiji at FNU, and we are confident we will receive accreditation for programmes related to customs and border management here soon!”

FNU’s College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies (CBHTS) Dean and Associate Professor Dr Asaeli Tuibeqa affirmed that the impact of this partnership will extend far beyond the walls of the two institutions.

“The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding marks a significant step forward and signifies the culmination of collaborative efforts and a shared vision for a brighter future in Customs and Border Management,” he said.