About Saufatu Sopoanga
Saufatu Sopoanga (22 February 1952 – 15 December 2020) was a Tuvaluan politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Tuvalu from 2 August 2002 to 27 August 2004. He drew international attention for his speeches warning about the effects of the rising sea level on Tuvalu and other low-lying island countries. He later served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2004 to 2006. His younger brother Enele Sopoaga served as Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 2013 to 2019. == Early life and career == Sopoanga was born on Nukufetau Atoll on 22 February 1952. He received a diploma in development administration from South Devon Technical College, Torquay in 1978 and a postgraduate diploma from the University of Manchester in 1992. In 1993, he received a Master's degree from the University of Liverpool. Sopoanga began working in the civil service of the Ellice Islands in 1973, and was a permanent secretary for different ministries between 1975 and 1995. During his time at the Ministry of Natural Resources, he facilitated visits by foreign geologists after Tuvalu became a member of the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission in 1984. From 1996 until his retirement in October 2000, he was a state secretary, the highest rank in the civil service.
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