Talks on MSME draft strategy

THE Ministry of Trade, Cooperative, SMEs, and Communication is working on the development of a Fiji National E-commerce Strategy, through the support of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTD).

Government stakeholders, and private sector partners gathered yesterday at the Grand Pacific Hotel for a National E-commerce Strategy Validation workshop, where they worked on validating the draft.

“An e-commerce strategy offers us a roadmap to navigate the complexities of the digital economy, addressing specific challenges and barriers that hinder the adoption and growth of e-commerce in Fiji,” Deputy Prime Minister and Trade, Cooperatives, SMEs, and Communication Minister Manoa Kamikamica said while officiating at the opening of the workshop.

“The draft strategy that will be presented to you today provides us with a blueprint to navigate this journey. It has been developed with the key stakeholders in Fiji and is therefore reflective of our unique context, aspirations, and priorities.

“Ultimately, we aim to harness the collective wisdom and resources of all stakeholders – government, private sector, civil society, and international partners – to create an enabling environment for e-commerce to flourish.”

Mr Kamikamica said developing e-commerce in Fiji would help expand market reach beyond geographical boundaries, while also providing a platform for youths and women entrepreneurs.

“By integrating e-commerce capabilities across key sectors and value chains or agriculture, tourism, manufacturing – we aim to diversify our economy, foster MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) development, and enhance export competitiveness.

“Fiji is also blessed with a plethora of high-potential services sectors, such as the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector. This sector has showcased remarkable growth, becoming a beacon of what is achievable when we harness digital platforms effectively.”

Mr Kamikamica said government’s National Digital Strategy will also provide a framework for the National E-commerce Strategy.