Venue: Boca, Wainikoro
Assistant Minister for Infrastructure, Transport & Public Utilities – Hon. Vijay Nath;
Representatives of the Department of Energy;
Fiji Electricity Authority Staff;
District Advisory Counselor;
Invited Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen
Bula vinaka and a very good evening to all of you.
It is indeed a pleasure to be with you this evening here at Boca, Wainikoso to officiate at the Opening Prayer Ceremony of this new Electrification Project. What an exciting way to kick-start the new year, as your community welcomes the comfort, security and convenience of reliable and affordable electric power.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Many Fijians have grown up having access to electricity all their lives. So they naturally have little idea what it must be like not to have it all.
To not be able to reach for a switch to read your book, plug a kettle into the wall, keep your food cold in the refrigerator or turn on a television. These are things a great many Fijians take for granted and yet for some Fijians, being able to have electricity has been a distant dream for a very long time and that includes your community. Your ability to own a diesel generator has simply been too expensive, while the cost of the fuel needed to run it, is merely beyond your reach.
However, all that comes to an end today, as this electrification has been completed at a cost of $94,313 and will provide a new and reliable supply of electricity to seventeen families in the Wainikoro settlement – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In addition, it’s a pre-pay system so you don’t have to worry about manually paying your bills, as your payment will be done through your respective M-Paisa accounts.
Ladies and Gentlemen
This project is part of a massive programme of rural electrification the Fijian Government is funding throughout the country and this year alone, $42.6 million has been allocated to electrify homes in rural areas across Fiji.
Furthermore, Government has a network of support in place to support eligible Fijians with a fifty per cent subsidy on electricity bills. Families earning less than $30,000 a year qualify for this subsidy programme, with up to the first 100 kilowatt hours of electricity a month subsidised. If you meet these requirements please apply at any office of our national electricity provider, the Fiji Electricity Authority.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Your community will now share the many advantages that electricity can bring. Electricity means the difference between back-breaking labor and modern electrical appliances that help with community work. Electricity gives your children the ability to study late into the night and be better prepared for school. And electricity creates well-lit, safe homes and streets that everyone can feel comfortable in at any hour of the day.
Ladies and Gentlemen
The Fijian Government provides electricity to keep you connected to the rest of the country. Moving Fiji forward is a group effort and we are better off every time another community is added to our national grid. That means one more community is up-to-date on current events and is able to contribute to the important conversations happening around Fiji.
Ladies and Gentlemen
As many of you may know, our Honorable Prime Minister was here in the North this week opening new projects, expanding the reach of Government services and bringing new modern infrastructure to every corner of Vanua Levu. This is an indication of how committed our Honorable Prime Minister is, in developing Vanua Levu for the benefit of its people and the entire country.
Our Honorable Prime Minister will not accept that someone living in Wainikoro deserves fewer services just because he lives in a more isolated part of the country. Instead, he would want you and everyone in Fiji, to have the same basic services as people living in Suva – the same access to electricity, to water, to education, to basic health.
Ladies and Gentlemen
The Fijian Government’s vision is to build on the progress that we have made and the stability we have created to attract new investment to Fiji and new and sustainable jobs for our young people.
The youths of our nation have the capacity to develop innovative solutions not only for business purposes but for the greater good of our society. The young people of Fiji possess many of the characteristics of the modern entrepreneur that have been identified by leading economists and social scientists.
Despite any challenges that we may face, the future of Fiji is very bright and exciting. The world is constantly changing with new opportunities emerging all the time and the true entrepreneur will make full use of them. You can be assured that the Fijian Government will provide the support and guidance that youths need.
Just a few weeks ago, the Ministry launched the Young Entrepreneurship Scheme or YES and our Honorable Prime Minister was present to officially launch this great initiative. The launch also signified another fulfilled promise by your Government, in ensuring economic prosperity for all Fijians and not leaving anyone behind in this journey towards a brighter and better Fiji.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Greater and rewarding achievements are within our reach if we can continue to think imaginatively and stay disciplined and focused. The lost years are over but only if we pursue the right course and think not just of ourselves but each other and our nation. If we put Fiji First.
Coming back to tonight’s event, we can all detect a sense of real excitement in the air here today, as we power up Wainikoro for the first time. However, I am convinced that the future holds a promise that is limitless, if we harness the power of all Fijians to deliver the best services
to all Fijians.
With those words, I now have the privilege of officially turning on the electricity supply to the Wainikoro settlement.
Vinaka vakalevu. Thank You.
View PDF->Minister’s Speech – Electrification Project Boca_Wainikoro