From electrician to entrepreneur: Vasiti Talakubu powering change for Fiji’s women in trades

As part of our Women in Power series, we are celebrating the remarkable leaders driving the Pacific and Timor-Leste’s clean energy transition.

In the remote islands and rural schools of Fiji, where power blackouts and unreliable infrastructure often disrupt learning, Vasiti Talakubu is delivering reliable, clean energy, one solar panel at a time.

Originally from the island of Gau, with maternal ties to Vagadaci in Levuka, Ovalau, Vasiti brings both cultural grounding and technical expertise to her work. Trained through the Training and Productivity Authority of Fiji (TPAF) with a Class 3 Trade Certificate, she is a licensed electrician who has built a thriving career and her own business in a field still largely dominated by men. From resorts to public works departments and private companies, Vasiti’s career path has been shaped by hands-on experience and unwavering determination.

Today, she is one of the driving forces behind the rollout of off-grid solar systems in remote Fijian schools with Its Time Foundation, including at Buakonikai Primary School in Rabi Island through a Business Partnerships Platform (BPP) partnership between Its Time Foundation and the Australian Government.

“Being able to light up a school where children were once studying by torchlight or kerosene lamps, is more than just a job, it’s a calling,” Vasiti shares. 

An electrician, mentor, trailblazer and role model, Vasiti is redefining what leadership looks like in her field. In the communities she serves, children affectionately call her “Solar”, a nickname that reflects both her technical skills and the warmth she brings. She is also the founder of Vasiti’s Electrical & Solar Solutions, a business that delivers services while creating local employment opportunities.

Driven by a passion for gender equality and social inclusion, Vasiti mentors young women and girls, encouraging more to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

“I want young girls to see that they can be anything, a solar technician, an engineer, a leader. The tools are not just for men,” she says.

Vasiti’s journey hasn’t been easy. She has pushed through social norms, institutional biases and the physical demands of a labour-intensive profession. Through it all, she has remained steadfast, guided by a principle she often shares: “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”

As Fiji transitions to renewable energy, women like Vasiti are driving both progress and opportunity. With every solar system she installs, she is increasing access to energy, education and employment for communities across Fiji and for the next generation of women leaders.

Vasiti’s story is part of the broader partnership that has been piloting a sustainable solar energy model for Fiji’s remote school communities. Learn more.

Across the region, women are stepping into roles that are reshaping how energy is generated, managed and shared. Their leadership is not only powering homes, schools and businesses with clean energy, it is building stronger, more resilient communities and showing what an inclusive energy future looks like.

We’re proud to showcase some of these remarkable leaders through our Women in Power series, which highlights women powering change through the Off-Grid Renewable Energy Partnerships program, delivered by the Business Partnerships Platform and supported by the Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership (PCIFP), a $350 million Australian Government initiative delivered by the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP). These partnerships are pilots for REnew Pacific, the Australian Government’s $75 million investment in off-grid renewable energy for remote communities across the Pacific and Timor-Leste.