Artisans win UNDP’s merchandise innovation challenge
After a highly competitive selection process, Kavara WoodArt, Matemosi Artisans, and Sigavou Studios emerged as the three winners.
Hibiscus Festival returns after five years
The familiar sight of bouncing castles, amusement rides, and mouthwatering barbeque drew hundreds of people to the Suva Foreshore this month as the long-awaited Miss Hibiscus Festival made a successful comeback after a hiatus of five years. Fijian Horticulturist, Viti Beaula, said this year’s festival was “the best”. Beaula and […]
Fijian businesswomen graduate from AWE entrepreneurs program
The quest to establish successful women-led businesses in Fiji continues, as 156 women entrepreneurs were accredited with certificates and essential skills and knowledge last week. The women entrepreneurs are part of the fourth cohort of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) program, an initiative by the United States Embassy in […]
$400k to support Pacific MSMEs
Twelve Pacific micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will see their businesses grow from strength to strength with the support of grants worth over $400,000 euros. The grant is part of the European Union-funded ‘Safe Agricultural Trade Facilitation through Economic Integration in the Pacific’ (SAFE Pacific) project. Implemented by the […]
First MSME conference to held in March
Innovation, creativity, and passion are some things to expect at Fiji’s first-ever conference for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in March this year. The theme of the conference is ‘Innovation Waves, Sailing MSMEs to Success’. Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, SMEs and Communications, Manoa Kamikamica, […]
Business Assistance Fiji: Empowering women and communities
“If you empower women, you empower communities”. That was the message by Dr Nur Bano, President of the Fiji Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) at last week’s Business Assistance Fiji (BAF) graduation ceremony in Suva. The event saw 50 businesswomen being accredited not only with certificates, but with essential […]
Fiji Women’s Expo makes grand return
Fiji’s National Women’s Expo made its grand return yesterday with hundreds of women showcasing their talents at the Vodafone Arena in Suva. “As the nation returned to normalcy post-pandemic, we had to make sure that we bring the National Women’s Expo back at this big scale, just as our women […]
Impact Recyclers: Furnishings brought to life
Since he was five, Sidhand Dev Sharma has learned the ropes of owning a sustainable upholstery business through the guidance of his father. Today, his father’s Navua-based business, Static Upholstery and Renewable Furnishings, is 45-years-strong, and he is continuing that legacy, through his own start-up, Impact Recyclers, which is also […]
Te Raraga: weaving generations together
By Kite Pareti “Doing handicrafts together has actually strengthened our bond as mother and daughter. It also helps us to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses because we work a lot together.” So says Emily, who along with her mother Toka, are the founders of Te Raraga, a family-owned handicrafts […]
Empowered women entrepreneurs making waves in Fiji
Innovating for Social Impact By Prerna Priyanka Last week’s Pacific Islands Entrepreneurship Expo generated a wave of enthusiasm as women entrepreneurs and change-makers gathered from across the region. The expo brought together a diverse group of individuals with a shared goal of creating sustainable and impactful businesses that contribute to […]
