Fiji economic summit gets underway

September 04, 2008 06:06:30 PM

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Fiji’s mini-economic summit has begun in Suva with more than 200 key stakeholders including those from the private sector attending.

Participants include those from the private sector, governmental agencies and various regulatory authorities, including the Fii Islands Trade and Investment Bureau (FTIB); Fiji Islands Revenue and Customs Authority (FIRCA); Department of Immigration, Town and Country Planning; Lands; Environment; Registrar of Companies and Titles;  Native Land Trust Board (NLTB); Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF); and other key agencies where private sector enterprises and businesses would need to get approvals.

Media executives have also been invited.

“One of the key purposes of the summit is to engage in a meaningful fashion with the private sector and all key stakeholders in the private sector and various other facets of our economy have been invited,” interim Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said.

“We will have a session on the various governmental agencies and regulatory bodies that for example, approve permits etcetera. So, the private sector will have the opportunity to meet them face to face and raise many of the issues and concerns they have,” he said.
 
A presentation on the state of the economy is an item on the agenda.

“We believe it’s time we are engaged very actively with the private sector because the trajectory of a growth that we require to improve our GDP (gross domestic product), to improve growth would be led by the private sector...so that is the purpose of the economic summit,” Sayed-Khaiyum said.

“And the idea is the (interim) Prime Minister in his new role as (acting) Minister for Finance, he wants to be able to facilitate private sector growth and see some of the issues that may be raised could in fact be addressed in the upcoming budget that will be delivered in November,” he added.

Sayed-Khaiyum said this was yet to be finalised into the budget address “but there is obviously room available to facilitate some issues that may arise”.

The two-day summit ends on Saturday.