Fiji needs development Programmes
The Director for Immigration’s Fiji, Nemani Vuniwaqa believes that Fiji as a nation needs development programmes to support leaders in different organisations. Speaking as one of the 20 participants of the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service: Pacific Leadership Programme (PLP) Graduation Ceremony on Friday. Mr Vuniwaqa said anyone can become leaders, but to develop better leaders, one needs be trained.
“We can all be leaders, but the issues and small moments that we need to focus on are what we tend to forget. We focus on big moments when we need to be looking after our people and pay attention to detail,” Mr Vuniwaqa said. Mr Vuniwaqa said the Fijian participants really learnt a lot, for the past five years from 2012, the seven programme has been positive and a lot of leaders from Fiji have developed and taken with them what they have learnt.
He said the programme will benefit the leaders as they look into taking the country forward with their leadership skills.
Fiji Revenue and Customs Service chief executive officer Visvanath Das said the programme has been running in Fiji for some years and now and it is not a development programme but a training for growth.
Mr Das said the programme was assisted by the New Zealand Government and the New Zealand Customs Service.
“The PLP has no doubt impacted Fiji over the past few years,” Mr Das said.
He said for the first time this year, there are representatives from the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Immigration Fiji, Fiji Police Force and the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji graduating after successfully completing the Programme. “The Involvement of Police, Immigration and Biosecurity Authority of Fiji is a testament of our strengthening partnership and resolve to work together to make our boarders safe as our region has been used as transit points for drugs and other legal activities and Fiji being the hub in the region.”
New Zealand High Commission to Fiji Counsellor Development Jonathan Rowe said the programme has been ongoing since 2010 and the programme is intended to develop leadership capacity and capability.