Promises by previous governments for a port of entry in Labasa has remained unfulfilled, says paramount chief Ratu Jone Qomate.
Ratu Jone said the much-anticipated port has never been built despite sites allocated for the project by previous governments.
“It’s disappointing because we know such a port could make a huge difference for our economy,” he said.
“The port could unlock the potential for Labasa.”
Referring to the current government, Ratu Jone expressed hope that this time things would be different.
In response, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Manoa Kamikamica said they were prioritising projects at the moment due to ageing infrastructure.
“We have a lot of capital expenditure commitments in Government, and there’s aging infrastructure that needs to be fixed as well,” he said.
Mr Kamikamica said the issue of a port of entry would need to be discussed at Cabinet level before any action is taken.
“There is funding available through the World Bank, and perhaps some of that can be used for the initial study before moving forward.”
He added he would first discuss the issue with the line minister and relevant stakeholders.
