SOUTH Pacific Business Development (SPBD) three times award-winning micro-entrepreneur Alisi Naiqama has urged women to get out of their comfort zone and to try and experience new things to earn money.
Ms Naiqama, who lives in Nakavu Village in Nadi, is the owner of Alisi Naiqama Enterprise, a home-based business specialising in selling food packs, clothes, bags, shoes, and also runs a baking business.
She was awarded the 2023 Centre Chief of the Year at the 13th SPBD Fiji Businesswoman of the Year Awards, and the leading award recipient at the 2024/2025 SPBD Businesswoman of the Year Awards.
She is also the SPBD centre chief of the Nakavu Center , which comes under SPBD’s Lautoka branch.
Her achievement has proved that financial independence is well within reach for the rural women who are willing to work for it.
In an interview, she told this newspaper that her entrepreneurial journey started in 2015 when she used to sell food packs after her husband’s passing.
She said she invested around $4000 to start her business with the help of her sister-in-law in America.
She said she joined the SPBD in 2016 and since then has taken loan more than 10 times, which has helped her to expand her business.
“To be honest, the SPBD has helped me to grow my business. The loans I took had helped me to invest in my business, build my house and buy my furniture,” she said.
“The SPBD members also buy my products which I sell, and this motivates me even more,” she said.
Ms Naiqama said she wishes to expand her business and open a shop in her village.
She advised all the women to work hard, try different ideas to make money and make use of the opportunities that are provided, such as the SPBD.
“I want all the ladies to come and join, to come and see and experience some new things. Not just staying in the village and looking for some easy money from elsewhere.
“You must struggle for your own self so that you can achieve more good things”.
She added that when her centre won the awards, it reflected the support, love and unity among members.
“We also faced challenges and members who struggled with repayments went through sickness, family problems, business difficulties and personal hardships.”
“One thing that kept us strong was, we did not leave anyone behind, and everyone walked together like a family.”
She said when one member was in need, everyone supported, when someone was discouraged, they encouraged all and when there was a problem, everyone sat together and talked about it.
She said SPBD is not only about loans but about discipline, responsibility, unity and building a better future for all.
Meanwhile, SPBD managing director Lorraine Seeto said since the establishment of the SPBD, it has remained steadfast in its mission to provide opportunities for women to improve their lives through financial inclusion, entrepreneurship and personal development.
She said SPBD has helped and seen thousands of women transform small beginnings into successful businesses that continue to enrich lives.
“Empowered women build empowered families, empowered families build stronger communities, and stronger communities build a stronger Fiji,” Ms Seeto said.
She added that this year, SPBD Fiji had reached a significant milestone—over $150 million in loans disbursed to its hardworking members, an achievement which is far more than a financial figure.
“It represented dreams realised, school fees paid, homes improved, businesses expanded, livelihoods strengthened, and countless families given opportunities that may once have seemed beyond reach,” she said.
“Every loan tells a story. Every repayment reflects responsibility and trust, and every successful businesswoman becomes an inspiration to another woman waiting to begin her own journey,” she said.
That, she added, is the true legacy of SPBD.
The 2026 SPBD Businesswoman of the Year Awards Night will be held later this year in October at the Vodafone Arena in Suva.
Nakavu Centre chief Alisi Naiqama, centre, at last year’s SPBD Businesswoman of the Year Awards. Picture: FT FILE/KATA KOLI
