Fiji calls for stronger intra-regional trade

Trade Pasifika 2014 was officially opened in Fiji Tuesday night with a firm recommendation from host country Fiji for stronger intra-regional trade among Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). This, it believes, will provide the best platform for exchange with international trade partners, given the many challenges that characterise business and entrepreneurship in individual countries…

Tourism Fiji on research trail

Tourism Fiji is seeking an internationally-experienced market research agency to conduct research into holiday visitor source markets. The research will focus on the key source markets for Fiji’s holiday visitors: Australia, New Zealand, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea and India. Ken Freer, Tourism Fiji’s director of global marketing said: “We…

Lack of business skills bug women

MANY Papua New Guinean women lack the basic skills for them to succeed as entrepreneurs. This was stressed by the prime minister’s wife Linda Babao in a remark at a fundraising breakfast sponsored by the PNG Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Babao said: “Women lack the basic knowledge in bookkeeping, budgeting, pricing, marketing, product…

Fiji central bank $39.9m transfer

THE central bank transferred $39.9million to the Fijian Government on Wednesday for the financial year ending December 31, 2013. In a statement, Reserve Bank governor Barry Whiteside said this comprised its total profit of $31.9m for the past financial year and $8m, which represented one-fifth of the balance of revaluation account as per the RBF…

Palau signs $28.8m loan for sewage improvement

Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Takehiko Nakao and Palau’s Finance Minister and ADB Governor Elbuchel Sadang have signed a loan agreement to fund the Koror-Airai Sanitation Project, which will improve the delivery of sanitation services in Palau. “The Government of Palau must be congratulated for their integrated approach to improving sanitation and water services,” said…

Pacific growth to pick up in 2014 – ADB

Economic growth in the Pacific is projected to rise to 5.4% in 2014 from 4.8% in 2013, according to the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) latest Asian Development Outlook 2014, launched in Sydney on Tuesday. Most economies across the Pacific are expected to perform better this year due to higher stimulus from the implementation of large…