Afamasaga Rico Tupa'i

Afamasaga Rico Tupa'i
Tupa'i in 2018
Minister of Communication and Information Technology
In office
18 March 2016 – 24 May 2021
Prime MinisterTuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi
Preceded byTuisugaletaua Sofara Aveau
Succeeded byToelupe Poumulinuku Onesemo
Member of the Samoa Parliament
for A'ana Alofi No.3
In office
4 March 2016 – 9 April 2021
Preceded byToeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster
Succeeded byToeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster
Personal details
Born
Afamasaga Lepuiai Rico Tupa'i

c. 1969
Political partyHuman Rights Protection Party

Afamasaga Lepuiai Rico Tupa'i (born c. 1969)[1] is a Samoan politician and Cabinet Minister. He is a member of the Human Rights Protection Party.

Tupa'i previously worked in the media, including media agency Skylite, the Samoan Department of Broadcasting, and as one of the founders of Fiji's Mai TV.[2] He worked for Digicel Pacific[2] and the National University of Samoa.[3] He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Samoa at the 2016 Samoan general election, and appointed Minister of Communication and Information Technology.[4][5]

In March 2021, Tupa'i was accused of extracting A$90,000 from an Australian investor seeking to establish a business in Samoa.[6][7] He subsequently lost his seat in the April 2021 Samoan general election.[8]

  1. ^ Sarafina Sanerivi (19 March 2016). "Afamasaga's wonderful surprise". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Afamasaga Lepuia'i Rico Tupa'i". Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Hon. Afamasaga Lepuiai Rico Tupa'i". Government of Samoa. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Many New Faces in Samoa Cabinet". Talanei. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Former Samoa deputy PM left out of cabinet". RNZ. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  6. ^ Marieta H. Ilalio (18 March 2021). "Minister Denies Serious Allegations by Australian Investor". Samoa Global News. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  7. ^ Lagi Keresoma (19 March 2021). ""Minister Afamasaga Rico Tupa'i should be investigated" says Businessman Graham Liao". Talamua. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  8. ^ Seia Lavilavi Soloi (13 April 2021). "Five Cabinet Minister lose seats after polls". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 29 May 2021.