The Fiji Development bank joined the Ministry of Fisheries and Forests ministerial delegation in a recent official visit to the Lau group.
The 11 member team led by the Minister and the Permanent Secretary for Fisheries and Forests stopped in on the islands of Vanuabalavu, Lakeba, Nayau and Cicia.
In today’s highly structured business environment, the nexus between government and development has never been more critical.
“We are thankful to the honourable minister Mr. Osea Naiqamu for the invitation. As a major lender in the resource sector, collaborating with the ministry was a natural step forward to mutually ensure th e positive development of these islands ,” FDB manager small and medium enterprise loans Pene Nataniela said.
“A ll four of the islands are rich in both forest and marine resources . It is part of the FDB financial advisory mandate to work with these grass root communities and help convert their resources into sustainable income generating projects .”
FDB was established in 1967 to provide finance for projects that contribute to the development of the Fiji economy and to improve the quality of life for the people of Fiji.
Loan s are provided for Agricultural, Small and Medium Enterprises, Corporate and Micro projects.As at June 2014, the bank held 60.7 percent of lending to the resource based sectors of agriculture, fisheries and forests.
“Our people are making use of the opportunities provided by government and as a bank, we are at the forefront of development so that standards of living are improved and poverty is reduced dramatically,” FDB Chief Executive Officer Mr. Deve Toganivalu said.
“Innovation and being proactive has been our major strength.
Whilst we continue to provide tailor made solutions for our clients, we also ensure that we educate our people on the opportunities available at the bank when the put their resources to good use.
This has ignited interests from especially our people in the islands in venturing into business.
” The bank will continue to collaborate with government ministries with the objective of maximising its assistance to the general public.
Press Release