Members of the LGBTIQA+ Community,
The Rainbow Pride Foundation,
Invited Guests,
Bula Vinaka and a very Good Evening to you all.
I am glad to be here today to open the Basic Business Training, organised by the hardworking people at Rainbow Pride Foundation.Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of this occasion.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Fijian Government has actively encouraged Fijians to engage in business. Our support for businesses does not stop with just encouragement, we provide training, mentoring, hand holding and most importantly funding.
The Rainbow Pride Foundation’s Economic Empowerment Programme, is to empower communities to overcome challenges, and as much as possible, lessen any perceived stigma.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The whole cusp of this training is to enhance your talents so you will be able to venture into business activities, to become your own boss and provide for your family and the community. In my travels around Fiji, I have seen just how blessed we are to be borne by so much creativity. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we want to tap into.
There are cases where creativity never truly flourishes because there is no helping hand to guide its fruition. All of you here know how creative you are – the things you have done, the things you are yet to accomplish in the normal thread of life – and you are an integral part of it. This is why, for this community, it’s hugely important to continue accessing such opportunities.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am glad that the Ministry is partnering with you in this 3-day training workshop to strengthen your business skills and knowledge in different areas. And we really do hope you see this as a partnership. As a Ministry, we pride ourselves in working closely with our stakeholders and partners. And by this I mean, also providing hand holding services like training and business advisory to ensure we see you through.
In the last financial year, the Ministry undertook 63 trainings, through which we have empowered more than 1,300 Fijians in confidently starting, improving and expanding their businesses ventures.
We continue to elevate as many Fijians as we can through our training and capacity building programmes, so that no community is not left behind in this commercially driven world.
The Ministry’s Training programmes largely look at how you can Start, Improve and Grow Your Business. We look at Basic Bookkeeping, Budgeting, Costing and Pricing, Post Disaster Business Recovery, Personal Entrepreneurial Competence and Co-operative Management. All of which are fundamental today. But remember, you are not limited by these training sessions alone.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
There are so many opportunities for you in the business world, either venturing as a sole trader business or you can come together and share your resources in forming a collaborative effort like a co-operative business.
The co-operative business model is an amazing business set up. The members have voluntary and open membership, democratic member control, member economic participation, autonomy and independence along with education, training and information sharing.
We can arrange for a co-operative awareness session for the participants, so you can have different business models to consider, when starting your business.
To add value to the trainings, I am sure the Ministry can organise an awareness session on our “Fijian Made-Buy Fijian” Brand. With a Fijian Made emblem, you can strengthen your market presence and make your product competitive.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At this juncture, I would like to touch on a few relevant initiatives announced in the Revised 2021-2022 National Budget a few weeks ago – specifically geared towards boosting our Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and inculcating an entrepreneurial culture.
As per the Revised 2021-2022 Budget, the Ministry has been allocated $500,000 for the Trade Enhancement Programme (TEP). The initiative aims to assist trade-based MSMEs through a $500 start-up funding for purchase of items for the business.
The TEP assistance is open to those micro entrepreneurs that are from the trade background. For example, caterers, hairdressers or electricians, to name a few, who can take advantage of this opportunity. The programme will be launched very soon so please keep a lookout for it!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I hope today sets the foundation for a stronger partnership in the days to come. I would like to say this again; you are all talented. And our role here is to help you help yourselves.
With these words, it is my pleasure to open this training and hope you are inspired and learn something new.
Vinaka Vakalevu.