Investment Fiji has urged more businesses to apply for the Prime Minister’s International Business Awards 2026 and get recognised for their contribution in the economy.
During the launch of the awards last week, Investment Fiji CEO Kamal Chetty said their strategy was not just to bring overseas businesses, but also connect the overseas business to the local economy.
“Because otherwise, as an investment promotion agency, you’ll be always just attracting new businesses, but not actually assisting the local business to grow,” Mr Chetty said.
He said they were also keen on assisting iTaukei businesses and regional developments as well.
He said upon request, they had kept the Yasana awards open to other companies as well and has seen more engagement from iTaukei businesses.
“So, for example, last year it was Excellence in Yasana Categories, where only provincial companies could apply, and we had several of them applying. This year, again, we’ve opened it, we are reaching out to them to ensure they’re part of this ecosystem where they need the support, they get connected to international partners, they connect to the right markets,” he said.
Mr Chetty said such awards were an appreciation to businesses for their contribution because there were a lot of companies that were doing very well and were really contributing to the development in different spaces and different parts of the country.
“The award has been there for 30 years, and it gives a bit of recognition and motivation for the employees, that they are working for a company that has been recognised in Fiji.
“So, what we’ve seen is basically internal motivation of the businesses itself and the employees.”
Mr Chetty said last year’s awards recorded the highest with 760 people, which delivered a lot of success stories.
