Director of Mega Supermarket & Hardware, Mr. Irish Khan,
Distinguished guests,
Members of the media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Bula Vinaka and good evening to you all.
About a year ago, I had the pleasure of joining my dear friend, Mr Irish Khan, in officially opening — a hundred percent Fijian owned business, Mega Supermarket & Hardware.
A year on, we have celebrated the achievements of Irish and his family through a three-million-dollar complex in Cuvu and most recently Masjid Hanifa, a house of worship in Naisoso.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
When Fijians, like Irish, invest in our country, it sends out a positive sign to other domestic and foreign investors that there is confidence to invest in Fiji — even during this time of pandemic.
On Fiji Day, the Honorable Prime Minister announced the easing of COVID restrictions and Fiji’s plan to re-open to Travel Partner Countries on 1 December 2021. These partner countries include Australia, New Zealand, United States of America, United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Qatar, Germany, Spain, France, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Japan and most Pacific Island Countries and Territories.
This in itself is extremely good news for every Fijian in the tourism industry and the business community of Nadi – a town, which was the hardest hit by this pandemic.
In order to protect Fijians, we will have in place a “no jab-no fly” policy. This means all travellers above the age of 18 years must be fully vaccinated with either Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Jonhson and Jonhson vaccines. And these visitors will only be able to travel to “safe travel areas”.
As the Minister for Tourism, I am very optimistic that our recovery is on track and we will see a difference in just a matter of time.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Coming back to today’s event, I want to reiterate that the commitment of domestic investors remains critical to reinvigorate the Fijian economy.
From a national policy perspective, we have set the blueprint for our recovery through our 2021-2022 National Budget. We want to bring back jobs, provide families and businesses with the stability that they deserve. That has always been our number one priority.
We want to create an economy that is built on the value of resilience. So when we see investments of this sort, we know our policies are making the impact intended.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am here today, not as a Minister, but as a friend to congratulate Mr. Khan and his family on their success and to thank them for the continued confidence.
It is evident that your investment in this community will create much required impetus in Nadi. I take this opportunity to wish you and the staff of Mega Supermarket & Hardware well.
With these few words, I invite you to enjoy the evening, and I officially announce Mega Supermarket & Hardware open.
Vinaka Vakalevu.