Call To Empower Women, Youths
Participants at a workshop in Suva have been told there’s a strong need to empower women and youths in the agriculture sector and link them with financial services. They’ve also been told that women faced many obstacles in achieving economic empowerment. The comments came from Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, David Kolitagane, while opening the one-day Stakeholder Engagement Workshop organised by the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) yesterday.
“The Government of Fiji greatly recognises the importance of gender equality and youth development for economic growth. Fiji has already achieved much in terms of youth and development,” Mr Kolitagane said. “This stakeholder workshop brings together various ministries and Government bodies working in the field of rural development, agriculture, youth and women.
“It is our goal to brainstorm in order to identify key obstacles to empowering women and youth in agriculture and to develop strategies as how to best link them up with financial services that can help empower them.”
RBF acting chief manager Poasa Werekoro said partnership with the six ministries would assist them in improving communication and ways in which financial inclusion would aid their target.
“As policy makers, we recognise the important role that women and youth play in contributing to national development and this has been reflected in a number of international and regional commitments, including our very own national five and 20-year development plans,” Mr Werekoro said.
“The objective of today’s workshop is to engage relevant Government ministries in collaborating with the National Financial Inclusion Taskforce and its working groups to strengthen financial inclusion and promote sustainable agricultural income among women and youth in Fiji.”
The six ministries that were part of the workshop were Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Rural Maritime Development and Natural Disaster Management, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism and Ministry of Affairs.