Scaling up women-owned micro-businesses into sustainable recognised brands is a critical national development priority to address Fiji’s underperforming small business sector.
Minister for Women Sashi Kiran made this remark in her official address at the 16th South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) Businesswoman of the Year Awards ceremony last Friday.
She said the national economic goal must transition from merely helping women open informal micro-businesses to actively integrating them into higher-value commercial supply chains.
“Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) currently account for about 16 per cent to 18 per cent of Fiji’s gross domestic product (GDP). This is well below the 40 per cent average seen in other emerging economies globally,” Ms Kiran said.
“Our national goal must now look beyond simply helping women open a business.
“We want to see our women-owned microbusinesses scale up into sustainable, recognised brands that move from self-employment to employing others in their neighbourhoods.”
To secure large-scale commercial contracts within Fiji’s booming tourism industry – such as supplying hotels, resorts, and international duty-free shops, Ms Kiran urged entrepreneurs to stop duplicating identical village initiatives and instead utilise cooperative production models.
“Instead, let us embrace the traditional concept of solesolevaki —working together in unity and cooperation.
“By combining your talents and pooling your production capacity, you can fulfill large-scale commercial orders without competing against one another.”
Ms Kiran said the Government was addressing systemic commercial barriers through targeted structural frameworks and cross-sector digital integration.
“Through Fiji’s Women’s Economic Empowerment National Action Plan 2025–2030, we are actively breaking down systemic barriers and expanding financial inclusion.
“By linking government digital literacy initiatives with SPBD’s technology, we can work towards giving you access to market information, modern mobile financial services, and digital storefronts.”
The SPBD microfinance network serves more than 8000 members across 450 centres and 11 nationwide branches.
