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Remittance surge: Data reveals $470m received in seven months

Remittances have increased over the years from 2010 onwards and over the recent months, becoming quite significant. This was according to Dr Janesh Sami from the School of Accounting Finance and Economics of the University of the South Pacific. While speaking during the economics session at the 2021 Pacific Update on Thursday, he said the...

Mixed representation with pockets of progress

A new report shows that the representation of women in business leadership in Fiji is mixed but there are pockets of clear progress. The report – Leadership Matters: Benchmarking Women in Business Leadership in the Pacific collected and analyzed women’s business leadership data across 14 Pacific countries, thereby establishing a baseline for women’s representation in...

Excitement level high

The excitement level is high among the local tourism operators as Fiji makes a slow but steady recovery from COVID-19. This according to Tanoa Group of Hotels Fiji area general manager Narend Kumar. “With the ‘Love Our Locals’ initiative, we are expecting a lot of locals at our six hotels which is spread across Viti...

New tool offers solution to remote working

Vodafone Fiji has announced yet another cloud-based business solution called Vodafone Teams Connect. According to a statement from the company remote working was often now a necessity, as government advisory encourages safer working practices, where possible. It was important for businesses to have the right communication tools and technology in this environment therefore Vodafone Teams...

Recovery timeline

To take Fiji’s GDP to a pre-COVID level would take three to five years, according to Dr Janesh Sami, from the School of Accounting Finance and Economics of the University of the South Pacific. While speaking during the economics session at the 2021 Pacific Update yesterday, he said their analysis suggested it was going to...

Premier retailer launches promotions ahead of Fiji Day celebrations

Fiji’s premier retailer, Prouds, has launched exciting and affordable promotions ahead of the Fiji Day celebrations. This promotion began yesterday and ends on October 11. Prouds Downtown Nadi store manager Ashwin Chand said prices had been slashed for numerous exclusive items which people could purchase to make their Independence Day celebrations an extraordinary one. “We...

Meals on wheels

With the lifting of domestic travel restrictions and removal of containment borders, people are now more than eager to travel and reunite with family and friends. Keeping this in mind, businesses along the Coral Coast and other areas are reopening with some new investments being made in fast food and takeaway businesses. Recently opened Wrap...

Ratings lowered to B+

Fiji’s ratings have been lowered to ‘B+’ based on the prolonged pandemic-related economic strain by Melbourne’s S&P Global Ratings. The ratings company states that travel restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are proving more protracted than they previously expected and weigh heavily on Fiji’s tourism-dependent economy. It adds that relatively large fiscal deficits are driving Fiji’s...

Getting to 80 per cent

By 4am Friday 17th September, a collective sigh of relief might have been heard around Viti Levu. We can certainly attest to this along with the most populous of Fijian swathes of urban collectives – the Lami to Nausori corridor within which the vast majority of the Central Division’s most densely populated municipalities, commercial and...

$20,000 business support for front liners

Vision Investments Ltd handed over laundry equipment worth $20,000 to the Ministry of Health this week to show their support for the work done by the front liners in the fight against COVID-19. Minister for Health Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete said: “It should be very useful to the patients we look after and also the work...

Reopening plans for properties

Warwick Hotels and Resorts are expected to reopen two of their properties next month, with the staff at their all four properties fully vaccinated businesses with Care Fiji Commitment’s 100% vaccination stamp. WHR senior vice president and executive director – Pacific, Tammie Tam said: “We, at the Warwick group, are committed to provide a safe...

Entrepreneurship – Gender and the way forward

Greetings again from the Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation (FCEF). It is estimated that gender gaps cost economies some 15 per cent of GDP (UN Women), this highlights how vital it is that women are empowered to allow for economic growth. The Fiji Enterprise Engine (FEE) program has actively supported business development in Fiji since...

Campaign to raise awareness

Two prominent insurance service providers have collaborated on a campaign to raise awareness of insurance and its benefits as a way to encourage more Fijians to protect themselves and their assets. BSP Life and Tower Insurance yesterday announced a joint promotion to encourage more people to use insurance products to mitigate their risks. In a...

Border reopening will bring re-employment

The Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation support the Government’s approach with the lifting of the containment zone borders and reducing the curfew hours from 9pm to 4am which was announced last week. According to the chief executive officer Kameli Batiweti many businesses would now be able to open for longer hours. He said they would...

Timely study

The Domestic Tourism Study is expected to help tourism stakeholders better understand different tourism segments, characteristics and opportunities in order to more effectively target and cater to the local tourism market. Launched by the Australia’s Market Development Facility (MDF) and the Fiji Hotel Tourism Association (FHTA), the study was informed by more than 10,000 online...

U.N. chief, UK PM increase pressure on leaders for climate change funds

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged leaders of the world’s major economies including the United States to deliver on their commitments toward a $100 billion per year climate fund with less than six weeks to go before a U.N. climate summit. Johnson and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres hosted a roundtable of world...

External review finds deeper rot in World Bank ‘Doing Business’ rankings

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Weeks before the World Bank scrapped its flagship Doing Business rankings following a damning independent probe, a group of external advisers recommended an overhaul of the rankings to limit countries’ efforts to “manipulate their scores.” An 84-page review, written by senior academics and economists, was published on the bank’s website on Monday, about...

Digital payments platform costly

There are only two banks in Fiji that have interoperability with M-Paisa or Vodafone, while one bank has it with Digicel in terms of MyCash. This was according to the Governor of Reserve Bank of Fiji Ariff Ali during a webinar earlier last week. He said a lot of merchants did not have an online...

Brewer rebrands for local market

Reef Brewing has rebranded its beer range to Dog Beers, developed solely for the local market. According to a statement from the company this would be made available through associated restaurants, shops and bars. It said the brewer Ui Tavo, worked closely with the team in their hospitality businesses to develop a crisp, refreshing Lager...

100 per cent vaccination; resort ready to open

Tourism Fiji has commended Yatule Resort & Spa Natadola Beach for getting all their 40 staff fully vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. According to Tourism Fiji the resort is Care Fiji Commitment approved, and now with 100 per cent vaccination achieved, they will be ready when borders open again. Resort managing director Damend Gounder said their...

Business supports single mothers

When Pauufu Olavie Parker, 51 opened a car wash business in Tavua merely a decade ago, she took into account detailed information of running a successful business because it was to be her first ever business stint. She had in fact pursued the business out of her personal interest to assist fellow women who were single...

Offer finally rejected – What’s next?

This week, PNG’s Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) rejected the acquisition of Westpac PNG by Kina Securities (the owner of Kina Bank) in its final determination. Since the ICCC had already rejected the acquisition in its draft determination, and for good reason, it is no surprise that it did so in its final determination....

UK seeks to break down digital trade barriers, says minister

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain will look to break down digital trade barriers to help its businesses export their services, the country’s newly appointed trade minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan will say on Monday. Britain’s Department for International Trade last week published a report seeking to predict trends in global trade out to 2050 which forecast that demand...

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