The Regional Director for the Asia-Pacific division at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Reehana Rifat Raza, made an inaugural visit to Tonga this week, after taking up her position on 20 May 2022.

She is accompanied by Candra Samekto, IFAD Country Director for the Pacific Island Countries, and Tamara Nicodeme, PIRAS Regional Coordinator.

They are engaging with government counterparts, key development partners, and to assess ongoing projects and activities in the field under the IFAD funded project the Tonga Rural Innovation Project Phase II (TRIP II).

Trip II was implemented by the Mainstreaming of Rural Development Innovation (MORDI) Tonga Trust across 122 target communities throughout the Kingdom of Tonga.

Reehana Raza and her delegation also engaged with Tonga's key stakeholders and said they witnessed the transformative power of IFAD's projects first hand.

She said that their visit reaffirmed IFAD's unwavering dedication to empowering rural communities, improving livelihoods, and fostering sustainable development in the Pacific. The two-day visit, underscored IFAD's commitment to expanding its engagements with its portfolio in the Asia-Pacific region, with Tonga, Fiji and Kiribati being a focal point of interest.

MORDI Tonga

The CEO of MORDI Tonga, Soane Patolo acknowledged IFAD. "MORDI is an NGO that was born out of an IFAD project," he said.
IFAD is a specialized agency of the United Nations and an international financing institution, tasked by its member states to invest in rural communities, striving to alleviate rural poverty and achieve sustainable food security through the development of remunerative, resilient, and sustainable rural livelihoods.

IFAD’s total portfolio to Tonga has amounted to $33.6 million US, of which $16.7 million US financed by IFAD under its Program of Loans and Grants. In addition, $1.86 million US funding is currently earmarked to Tonga through supplementary-grant funded interventions.

For more than four decades IFAD’s total investment in the Pacific Region has reached $417.7 million US, out of which $130.5 million US funded through IFAD’s Program of Loans and Grants and $287.2 million US funded through supplementary financing.

IFAD is also supporting economic recovery through the diversification of local economies and bolstering food and nutrition security in partnerships  aiming to help rebuild the informal economy for Tongan communities.