Subscribe
Business
1st April
14,000 to 16,000 Fijian tourism workers overseas – Minister Gavoka
An estimated 14,000 to 16,000 tourism workers have left the industry for overseas jobs, says Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka. He made the statement while replying to a motion for debate on...
31st March
Carbon footprint
The Sugar Industry’s product carbon footprint revealed in a study by Fairtrade International found that emissions were associated with sugarcane cultivation and transport to the mill. While speaking at a two day Fairtrade workshop for sugar cane farmers in Lautoka this week, permanent secretary for Sugar Yogesh Karan said this was a concern for the...
$1.6b investments within tourism sector
A total of 262 projects were implemented from 2007 to 2020 with a value around $F1.6 billion worth of investments within the tourism sector. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade Manoa Kamikamica shared this at the official opening of the inaugural Fiji Tourism Investment Summit 2023 on Denarau yesterday. “However, there are numerous opportunities...
Bid to streamline bottlenecks
Trade and Investment Minister Manoa Kamikamica says government policies, inflation and interest rates together with investment climate and economic conditions are some factors that affect overall investment decisions. He highlighted this when officiating at the inaugural Fiji Tourism Investment Summit 2023 in Nadi yesterday. “We all know the importance of investments and its centrality to...
$3b industry
The tourism sector is projected to grow to a $3 billion industry this year as markets in Asia open up and new markets, including Canada, come on stream. This exciting development was shared by Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica with stakeholders from the public and private sector who are part of the inaugural Fiji Tourism...
30th March
Firm shows interest
A Malaysian firm has shown interest in Fiji’s electronic vehicles sector and had a meeting with the Ministry of Trade, Co-operatives, SMEs and Communications permanent secretary Shaheen Ali to discuss their investment proposal. According to the ministry the award winning firm — Energreen Tech and Evwave — are distributors of Pilot-branded EV chargers and collaborates...
Employee of the year award motivates Eshley to do better
Eshley Narayan recently joined the Fiji New Zealand Business Council as a committee member and received the Employee of the Year Award from her employer – DHL Global Forwarding (Fiji) Pte Ltd. Ms Narayan is the business development executive at DHL Global Forwarding (Fiji) Pte Ltd. “I’ve been in this industry for seven years and...
Summit to promote tourism investment opportunities
A three-day inaugural Fiji Tourism Investment Summit starts from today until April 1, 2023, at the Sheraton Fiji Resort on Denarau Island to promote Fiji’s tourism investment opportunities. Organised by Investment Fiji and Tourism Fiji in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the summit is set to provide the invited investors an opportunity to...
Maximise recycling – Call to hold waste producing companies accountable
Waste producers must be held accountable on how they are managing their waste, says Pacific Recycling Foundation founder Amitesh Deo. Marking International Day of Zero Waste today, Mr Deo said people must know where recyclables ended up. He said one of the key messages of International Day of Zero Waste was to maximize recycling and...
Pacific Leadership Summit in Fiji
One of the greatest joys of my job is being able to travel to Fiji and the six other Pacific countries Tower operates in to connect with our team, customers and partners. Tower’s Suva hub is the heart of our Pacific operations and I am back in Fiji this week alongside three other Tower executives...
Fiji is NZ’s leading trading partner, says Tirikatene
New Zealand’s Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth, Rino Tirikatane has commended Fiji for being the country’s number one trading partner in recent years. Speaking in Wellington during Investment Fiji’s 2023 Investment and Trade Mission to New Zealand Business Forum, Mr Tirikatene stated both nations are on the same wavelength as both countries...
Women farmers promote insurance
Turning to agriculture as a source of income and survival has worked quiet well for two single mothers in the Western Division. While some may not consider large scale cane farming for an independent woman, these ladies have found success and have even purchased insurance to protect their livelihoods this year. Premila Devi has owned...
Signs of recovery
Loans and advances by credit institution in 2022 was $491 million, states the Reserve Bank of Fiji in its 2022 annual report that was tabled in Parliament on Monday. The RBF said credit institutions had shown signs of recovery from the pandemic’s effects, with earnings improving. The RBF said asset quality held by credit institutions...
29th March
Outsourcing industry shares plans
There are plans by Fiji’s outsourcing industry to penetrate at least 5 per cent of the USA market. Outsource Fiji executive director Sagufta Janif said Fiji’s outsourcing industry was largely 75 per cent to 80 per cent) made up of made up of businesses and clients from Australia and New Zealand. In a media release...
Boost for trade
The launch of Fiji’s Electronic Phytosanitary Enhanced Services is a transformation that has the potential to boost Fiji’s trade in agriculture and promote efficiency in the entire export supply chain. Speaking at the launch in Suva last week, permanent secretary for Trade, Co-operatives, SMEs and Communications Shaheen Ali said the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji (BAF)...
Women grateful for the learning opportunity
The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) program was launched in 2020 by the US Embassy and so far, 300 women entrepreneurs have been trained in and graduated from the program. Since its establishment in 2020, this year was the first time for a summit to be held for the alumni of the AWE from Asia...
$782.4m mobile money transfers
As many as 632,123 people used either M-PAiSA and MyCash for mobile money services in 2022, with person to person transfers amounting to $782.4 million in 2022, states the Reserve Bank of Fiji in its 2022 annual report that was tabled in Parliament on Monday. The RBF said mobile money services provided by Vodafone Fiji...
$1.2m profit for company
Bottlers of VaiWai and AquaSafe Natural Artesian water – Pleass Global Ltd (PBP) – recorded a net profit of $1.2 million in 2022. Company chairman Warwick Pleass said this was a growth of 11 per cent compared with the previous financial year. In its 2022 audited financial statements, the company recorded a 92 per cent...
$7.6b commercial banks’ loans and advances
Commercial banks’ loans and advances in 2022 was $7.6 billion, states the Reserve Bank of Fiji’s 2022 annual report that was tabled in Parliament on Monday. The RBF said the commercial banking industry was able to withstand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, having maintained satisfactory levels of capital, earnings, liquidity, and marginal asset quality...
$36.8m bonus
BSP Life yesterday announced a bonus payout of $36.8 million for the 2022 financial year which will benefit about 40,000 policyholders. Managing director Michael Nacola said last year they recorded the highest growth in their investment portfolio. According to Mr Nacola, last year BSP Life received around $89m in investment income, achieved a higher degree...
Trade facilitation top on Fiji’s development agenda
Trade facilitation is a top priority in Fiji’s development agenda, says Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica. While opening the Supporting Trade Facilitation, Digitalization and Digital Transformation in the Blue Pacific workshop in Nadi yesterday, he said Government wanted to ensure Fiji remained an attractive place for investment and business. “We recognise that, by streamlining our...
BSP Life announces bonus allocation
BSP Life announced a total bonus allocation of $36.8 million, which according to its managing director Michael Nacola, is the highest in its 145-year history. At a press conference yesterday, Mr Nacola said the bonuses were distributed to their life insurance customers with investment-linked policies. He said over the past 10 years, BSP Life had...
28th March
$150k investment creates 20 new jobs
An investment of $150,000 in Labasa Town which has been completed will provide employment opportunities for about 20 people. Although opposed and challenged by other existing business houses which resulted in a tense public hearing between supporters and those who objected, the investor Amelia Simmons yesterday confirmed receiving her approved plan from the Ministry of...
Sigatoka-based company records $795k profit
Sigatoka-based Pacific Green has reported a profit of $795,691 for the 2022 financial year compared with a profit of $381,766 from the same period last year. The company recorded total revenue of $4.8 million in 2022. “These strong results were due to reduced operating costs through more efficient production processes and better inventory management, timely...
Single mother builds her way to greatness
Women do many things and handle many situations better than their male counterparts. When faced with a crisis, most women find a way to keep their families intact and their priority would be to ensure their children’s needs are met. Take the case of Elisabeta Torava Waqa. She has worn many hats and been called...
‘Workplace did not cause death’
The Employment Relations Court in Lautoka has disagreed with a doctor who testified that employees who walked in and out of freezers at their workplaces were susceptible to “stress”. Resident Magistrate Indula Ratnayake said this in a recent ruling that found Radisson Blue Resort was not liable for the death of one of its workers...
$951.6m in personal remittances – RBF
Personal remittances into the country amounted to $951.6 million, states the Reserve Bank of Fiji August 2021-July 2022 annual report that was tabled in Parliament yesterday. The RBF said this continued to increase with a significant rise in funds received via the mobile money platform. “Inward remittances (including international mobile money transfers) rose by 15.9...
27th March
Solar power for water
Solar Fiji has been growing steadily as a result of the reliability of its products for off-grid areas in the country. Company director Joe Baravi said they had recorded an increase in the demand for solar power. “Yes, there has been an increasing demand of solar power for off-grid and grid-tied commercial and residential clients....
Locals learn from celebrity chef
Local chefs at the Sheraton Fiji Golf and Beach Resort and the Fiji Marriot Resort Momi Bay got a chance to learn from Australian celebrity chef Matt Moran who, over two days, showcased his wide-ranging talents in fine dining. The restaurateur was a guest at the two Sheraton Resorts property where local and international guests...
25th March
PRB success stories – Board built estates to support small town growths – The Draiba Estate
Located approximately 1.5km from Levuka Town and neighbour to Draiba Village is the 24 flat-Draiba Public Rental Board Estate. With a total population of approximately 120, the estate is daily managed by Keasi Kalou, the estate caretaker. The Public Rental Board Housing Estate community officer Sitiveni Tabua said the caretaker was daily assisted by the...
