10 Jul, 2019

Honorable Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Civil Service and Communications,

Honorable Ministers,

Your Excellences and Members of the Diplomatic Corps,

Representatives of Singapore Cooperation Enterprise,

Private Sector,

Permanent Secretaries,

Invited Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Bula vinaka and a very good afternoon to you all.

It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this milestone event. With the launch of bizFIJI, the Fijian Government is taking giant stride towards improving services for the people of Fiji.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The 5-Year and 20-Year National Development Plan (NDP), sets the vision of providing Fijians steady, improved, better quality and accessible Government services. Therefore, we have embarked on a 4-year Digital Government Transformation Programme.

Over the past few months, a number of e-services have been rolled out. And today we are launching the first phase of enhanced information and service delivery for businesses.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me reiterate, the Fijian Government recognises the importance of private sector as the engine for economic growth and development.

As we continue to provide a conducive environment for doing business in Fiji, today, we provide a centralised platform for businesses to get information on two key areas of doing business. These are (i) Starting a Business and (ii) Obtaining Construction Permits.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The vision for having this portal, began with a strategy to fast track and improve processes. This will make a major difference in the business environment in Fiji.

We simply wanted to create a single window, where information is readily available and businesses are able to access the relevant forms and documentation required.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is the beginning of a journey towards a digital platform for doing business. This platform will not only be a portal for information, it will evolve into a submission portal in at least two years.

We want bizFIJI to be THE portal that investors and businesses, both domestic and foreign, are able to use to navigate their way to the relevant business process they want. bizFIJI may not host all the application processes, but will provide access to those online application processes that are essential for doing business.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I look forward to continued collaboration with the relevant agencies and stakeholders to make this portal the gateway of doing business in Fiji.

Hence, I call upon all stakeholders to come together and join hands with the Fijian Government in breaking barriers and overcoming impediments hurdling growth of Fiji.

With these words, I once again welcome you to this launch. I now have the pleasure to request the Hon. Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, the man who is in the forefront of the technological revolution in Fiji, to say a few words and launch the bizFIJI portal.

Vinaka Vakalevu, Thank you and Dhanyabaad