Press Release No. : 23/2025
Date : 12 November 2025
Press Release No 23 – Reserve Bank of Fiji Announces the Return of Mr Esala Masitabua from Secondment at the International Monetary Fund
The Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) is pleased to announce that Mr Esala Masitabua has returned to the RBF after successfully completing a 2-year secondment with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C.
Mr Masitabua served at the IMF as Advisor in the Southeast Asia Group (SEAVG) from November 2023 to October 2025.
During the secondment, Mr Masitabua was involved in providing macroeconomic and financial policy advice to the Executive Board, coordinating communication between IMF staff and SEAVG authorities, and representing the constituency in small states development discussions. Mr Masitabua was also Advisor for Tonga at the Fund during his tenure. This experience has provided valuable insights into global economic and financial challenges, as well as the IMF’s operational procedures.
Upon his return, Mr Masitabua will resume his duties as Deputy Governor at the RBF, where the expertise he gained at the IMF will be leveraged to strengthen the Bank’s surveillance capacity, enhance policy formulation, and foster ongoing succession planning and leadership development.
RBF Governor, Mr Ariff Ali, highlighted that “the secondment of RBF officials to esteemed international bodies like the IMF is a crucial part of our capacity-building and leadership development strategy. We are delighted to welcome Mr Masitabua back and look forward to the application of his enhanced expertise to contribute to the RBF’s vision and missions.”
Mr Masitabua holds a Master of Business Administration, a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics, a Postgraduate Certificate in Human Resources Management from the University of the South Pacific, and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Griffith University, Australia.
RESERVE BANK OF FIJI
For further details, please contact:-
Communications Office
Telephone: (679) 3223 381 Email: info@rbf.gov.fj
Mr Mervin Singh – Manager Corporate Communications
Telephone: (679) 3223 229 Email: mervin@rbf.gov.fj