Acting CEO Vodafone Fiji PTE Ltd, Mr Ronald Prasad,
Representatives of the Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme,
Management and Staff of Vodafone Fiji,
Members of the media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Bula Vinaka and a very Good Morning to you all.
Today marks a special occasion, not only for Vodafone Fiji, but for the many Fijian businesses, large and small – who continue to face challenges amidst the crisis we face today.
As we celebrate the successful launch of Vodafone’s VitiKart platform, we’re also providing local businesses an opportunity to recover and expand their traditional market and operate online. And that is why we’re all here today.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Initiatives such as the VitiKart come at a time where the very existence of many businesses is conditional to their ability to break barriers and stay relevant, and ahead of the competition.
When businesses and customers aren’t restricted by logistics such as physical location and time, you have a plethora of opportunities to boost revenue in new ways – in ways we may not have thought.
As far as our ICT preparedness goes, the Fijian Government has provided digital infrastructure for Fijians and Fijian businesses to conduct online business.
Through initiatives such as digitalFIJI and bizFIJI, which is part of our digital transformational agenda, we are empowering Fijians to be connected to the Fijian Governments e-services, a step forward from the traditional practice of providing assistance.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As I mentioned during my 2020-2021 National Budget support speech, by helping our businesses grow, we’re helping Fijian families and securing their future and that of their children.
The 2020-2021 National Budget, is business friendly and steers us towards economic recovery through incentives such as: eliminating business licensing, introducing tax cuts targeted at businesses and households, across-the-board reductions in customs tariffs and streamlining of processes. All of which will improve the ease of doing business in Fiji, making us one of the most competitive destinations for businesses.
The National Budget also catered for the reduction in fiscal and import excise duties on over 1,600 items to either zero or 5 percent so the vast majority of imported items will now attract little to no customs duties. The removal of all stamp duties will also significantly reduce the cost of transactions, leading to increased spending and stimulating economic activity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Fijian Government continues to make best endeavours to create an environment for businesses to not only recover but grow to its full potential. For the foreseeable future, we’ll need to make the most of what we have. And that can only be achieved through forming strategic partnership.
I also spoke about how this is the time to show our national pride, and demonstrate our support for the “Fijian Made–Buy Fijian Campaign”. I’m sure a number of businesses licenced under the Campaign will make use of this platform – and I strongly encourage them to do so. And there’s a hundred reasons why you should.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Having an online presence helps you better understand your customer base, so that you can offer the rights products. Now more than ever, customers don’t want to stand in long ques, in crowded stores. In fact, people want to move away from cash payment altogether — it’s just a smoother and more comfortable experience.
Digital marketing and selling models such as those that use e-commerce allows you to gather, synthesize and use customer information more easily. You can track a customer’s buying habits more carefully which offers the opportunity for target marketing and promotional efforts more accurately.
Apart from operational modifications to decrease costs and increase revenues, a recent business survey conducted by the Ministry in collaboration with International Finance Cooperation has revealed that 8 percent of non-tourism businesses have set up or expanded online sales in response to the pandemic.
On that note, Ladies and Gentleman,
In an effort to connect locally made niche products under the “Fijian Made – Buy Fijian” Campaign, I’d like to congratulate the team at Vodafone Fiji Limited, for providing an online platform and connecting Fijian products to a wider market.
I accord my special thanks also to the Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme for their partnership – for their technical and financial support.
This newly developed platform will allow Fijian businesses to operate and purchase products from anywhere in the world, with real-time and measureable sales approach.
With these words, it is my pleasure to launch the VitiKart platform.
Vinaka.