CEO Post Fiji Pte Ltd, Dr. Anirudha Bansod;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Members of the media;
Bula Vinaka and Good Morning to you all.
Today is a very special occasion, not just for the Ministry and Post Fiji, but for a number of local MSME businesses. As we sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), we are providing an opportunity for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) licensed under the Fijian Made – Buy Fijian Campaign, an opportunity to sell online.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Fijian Government has provided digital infrastructure for companies and individuals to conduct online business. A global survey on internet speed has found that Fiji has the fastest broadband speed, in comparison to the other Pacific Islands countries.
We are currently implementing a forward-looking strategy called DigitalFIJI, to ensure that every Fijian is digitally connected. The benefits of this is already being realised, with a number of e-services already being rolled out over the past few months.
In addition, we launched the bizFiji portal in July last year. The portal is a centralised platform for businesses to get information on key areas of doing business and link to Government eservices.
The budget announcement of the last Friday by the Hon Minister for Economy, eliminated the need for obtaining a business license. The process of obtaining a business license was already streamlined and reduce to two days. Now this step is not needed. In order to start a business, you just have to complete the online business registration at Registrar of Companies.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
These initiatives tie in well with Post Fiji online platform and collaboration with Fijian Made initiative. Going on-line and adopting E-Commerce, particularly helps start-ups and MSMEs and puts them on an equal footing with larger businesses. These modes of doing business are now consider the new normal in the COVID 19 pandemic era.
Approximately 69 percent of Fijian Made licensed companies are MSMEs, and this online platform, through Post Fiji, will remove barriers that MSMEs currently face. These include limitations, such as, cost of setting up a physical outlet, access to global market, lack of resources for marketing and promotion capacity, to name a few.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Fiji is located thousands of kilometres away from its larger trading partners and potential markets. We produce some very authentic products that are quite unique in the world. We can use e-commerce to level the global market playing field to grow and diversify our economy.
For example, a crafter in Fulaga, Lau can easily sell their art to someone sitting in the comfort of their home in Switzerland.
The Fijian Government is working to ensure eCommerce can unlock great economic potential for Fijians now and in the future.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I take this opportunity to encourage Fijian Made businesses to register on the ecommerce platform and use it to their advantage. I look forward to the successful implementation of our MOU and collaboration, and wish all the businesses great success.
Thank you and Vinaka Vakalevu.