In April 2025, the WLI alumni network was invited to attend a special online event to gain insight into the political journey of Samoan Member of Parliament (MP), the Honorable Ali’imalemanu Alofa Tuuau.
Coordinated by Women’s Developmental Leadership Program alumni Adi Tirisiane Logavatu (event moderator) and Vanessa Teutao, the event was hosted for WLI alumni members of the Pathways to Parliament and Policy Development Group.
Made up of WLI alumni, the group (accessible via the WLI Leaders Hub) aims to create informal spaces to share information and resources with members who may be interested in entering parliament and influencing policymaking in their own countries.
About Hon Ali’imalemanu Alofa Tuuau
Hon Alofa is a current Member of the National Parliament of Samoa, presently in her second term of government. She is an accountant by profession and was Chief Accountant of Samoa’s Public Trust for 13 years. She was also Finance Manager of The University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji for 13 years, and Finance Advisor to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in Samoa for 14 years.
Hon Alofa ran as a candidate for the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) vying for the seat of Alataua West in the 2016 Samoan General Election. She successfully campaigned and was appointed to MP before becoming the Chair of the Committee for Finance and Expenditure.
While not initially re-elected in 2021, she was later appointed through Samoa’s Temporary Special Measures (TSMs) quota system, which legislates a minimum requirement of 10% women in Samoa’s Legislative Assembly. She intends to stand for re-election in 2026, with hopes to inspire more women to enter parliament.
Catch up on insights shared by Hon Alofa
A Summary Paper including key insights shared by Hon Alofa is available to download.
It outlines:
- Hon Alofa's own reluctant journey into politics in Samoa, including what made her decide to run, preparing to campaign, and building support,
- key lessons learned winning (in 2016) and losing (in 2021) a national election campaign,
- challenges and opportunities for women politicans and policymakers,
- strategies and tips to build community support and relationships with male leaders,
- and more.