Toelupe Poumulinuku Onesemo
Toelupe Poumulinuku Onesemo | |
|---|---|
| Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa | |
| Assumed office 16 September 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Laʻauli Leuatea Schmidt |
| Preceded by | Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio |
| Minister of Communications and Information Technology | |
| In office 24 May 2021 – 14 January 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa |
| Preceded by | Afamasaga Rico Tupai |
| Succeeded by | Mauʻu Siaosi Puʻepuʻemai |
| Member of the Samoan Parliament for Falealili No. 1 | |
| Assumed office 9 April 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Aumua Isaia Lameko |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi |
Toelupe Poumulinuku Onesemo is a Samoan politician who has served as the deputy prime minister of Samoa since 2025. He is a member of the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party.
Onesemo was educated at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, obtaining a bachelor's and master's degree in civil engineering, as well as the University of the South Pacific, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science and a teaching certificate. He worked as a teacher in Samoa from 1994 to 1999, and since 2002 has served as a public servant. In 2015 he was appointed chief executive of the Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure.
He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Samoa in the April 2021 Samoan general election, winning the seat of Falealili No. 1.
On 24 May 2021 he was appointed Minister of Communications and Information Technology in the elected cabinet of Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa. The appointment was disputed by the caretaker government. On 23 July 2021 the Court of Appeal ruled that the swearing-in ceremony was constitutional and binding, and that FAST had been the government since 24 May.
On 14 January 2025 he was dismissed by prime minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa. He was replaced by Mauʻu Siaosi Puʻepuʻemai. On 15 January Mataʻafa was expelled from the FAST party and Onesemo was elected deputy chair.
Following FAST's victory at the 2025 snap election, Onesemo became deputy prime minister and minister of works in the cabinet of Prime Minister Laʻauli Leuatea Schmidt.