THE Bose ni Momo, through the Resource Owners Council of Yasana o Ba, hosted its inaugural Ai vola gauna vou (A new chapter) gala dinner at the Sheraton Event Centre on Denarau in Nadi on Thursday last week.
Held under the theme “Our heritage. Our people. Our future”, the event brought together traditional leaders, government representatives, business executives and investors to strengthen partnerships and explore development opportunities for Ba Province.
Event director Pauliasi Natabe said the initiative aimed to strengthen relationships between traditional institutions and the wider economy.
“This event is about strengthening relationships between traditional institutions and the wider economy, while supporting initiatives that promote indigenous participation, sustainable development and long-term opportunities for the multicultural people of Ba,” he said.
Mr Natabe said the gala dinner reflected the council’s commitment to honouring past leaders while building a stronger foundation for future generations.
He said organisers hoped to develop the event into a broader investment platform, with aspirations of establishing a Ba Province Investment Week.
Meanwhile, provincial council chairman Meli Tora said protecting the indigenous rights, customary relationships, land, culture and the role of resource owners provided a foundation for the province’s future.
“Ba also recognises the generations of Indo-Fijian families and other communities who have made the province their home and contributed to its economy and society. “Our shared future is built on mutual respect, fairness and genuine goodwill,” he said.
Mr Tora said the next step was to establish a stronger provincial economic baseline covering agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, retail, transport, construction, services, small businesses, employment and investment. He called for careful land-use planning that respected customary interests while enabling sustainable development.
Meanwhile, the dinner was held on the margins of the Ba Provincial Council meeting, which concluded the following day.
