A new era begins at the Ministry of Women, Community & Social Development

By Lagi Keresoma/

Apia, SAMOA – 01 July 2026: As the month of July rolls in, a new era begins for the Ministry of Women Community and Social Development (MWCSD) now splitting into three new Government entities.

The three new entities are the Ministry of Family Affairs, the Samoa District Development Authority and the Government Printing Services.

The MWCSD was first established in December 1990 under the name the Ministry of Women Affairs and in 2003, its name was changed to the Ministry of Women Community and Social Development.

Last year, the Government decided to create the Samoa District Development Authority (DDA) to administer and oversee the District Development Project and rename the MWCSD and its focus as the Ministry of Family Affairs which will also have the peoples with disabilities and the youth under its portfolio.

As the changes come in, the MWCSD Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Loau Donina Va’a, with some emotions, said on the Ministry’s Facebook page, a new era has begun.

“One MWCSD, three new chapters and one enduring legacy, Today, we close an extraordinary chapter in the history of the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development as one MWCSD becomes three new chapters,” said Loau.

The MWCSD Chief Executive Officer, Loau Donina Va’a.

Loau was appointed CEO in April 2024 and said she inherited an organisation filled with extraordinary people and extraordinary potential.

“There were challenges before us, but there was something even greater, a workforce willing to believe that together, we could build something better and that is exactly what we did,” she said.

MWCSD has achieved so many milestones, but what stood out was the vision to establish a ministry specifically to cater for women and the community.

Tribute to the staff
“They are your story.
Every achievement represents a decision to work harder.
Every milestone represents a team that refused to give up.
Every success represents countless conversations, village visits, reports, meetings, innovations, and sacrifices that often went unseen.
Behind every framework launched and every policy endorsed…
Behind every community reached and every system improved…
Behind every family supported was one of you.
You are the reason our Ministry leaves stronger than we found it.
You modernised the way Government works and strengthened trust with our communities.
You championed inclusion for those whose voices had too often gone unheard and demonstrated that when people unite around purpose, transformation becomes possible.”

The core staff of Government’s brainchild, the District Development Project that decentralized village development since 2021.

“As we transition this week into three new chapters, I hope each of you carries one truth in your heart; You have been a pillar of MWCSD’s legacy,” she said.

She urged them not to underestimate the difference they have made.

“Some of your work will be seen in policies, will be seen in stronger systems and will be measured in data and reports.” she said.

But the greatest impact will never be measured.

She said their work will be found in the child who now has greater opportunities, the family who found hope, the young person who felt heard, the person with a disability who finally felt included, the village that discovered new confidence, the  lives quietly changed because you chose to serve.

“That is your legacy although our Ministry now becomes three organisations, our purpose remains one,” she said.

Encouraging women weavers in maintaining quality finemats that remain a significant element in Samoan cultural and economic exchange.

To serve & strengthen families.
Loau said the ministry letterheads may change, the organisational structures may change and some will now wear different uniforms and sit in different offices, but they will always remain one family, connected by a shared purpose and a shared history.

New leadership
The separation of the ministries mean new leadership especially with the establishment of the District Development Authority that is the ruling FAST Governments brainchild to uplift the country’s social and economic development in a uniform effort.

The new Ministry of Family Affairs and the District Development Authority will under one Minister as the Printing Services and government media come under the Prime Ministers portfolio.