Business integrity for young entrepreneurs
FIJI Commerce & Employers Federation (FCEF) strongly believes that advocating business integrity to young entrepreneurs or young business leaders will be a vessel of change to inculcate integrity to all businesses in Fiji in the near future.
In its efforts to support this initiative by local Government, the United Nations Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption (UNPRAC) and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in partnership with FCEF facilitated two separate three-day workshops on the Business Integrity Toolkit designed for young business leaders of ASEAN.
Participants of the two workshops that were held in Nadi on September 16th to 19th and Savusavu on October 27th to 30th, 2020 respectively realised business integrity was the missing link from the norms of doing business the Fijian way for decades.
Attempts by government in the past and present to “clean up” the mess left behind by bad business values and “rid corruption” has proven to be a futile, unending exercise.
FCEF strongly supports with the introduction of program or training on Business Integrity Toolkit will get rid of corruption in Fiji in the future.
During the training, young business leaders were encouraged to adopt the following values:
■ Accept the Business Integrity Toolkit to guide their business proceedings
■ Implement and integrate business integrity requirements to influence the change in their personal and business dealings
■ Create a network of likeminded young entrepreneurs who will lead the change in the business operations in Fiji.
A total of fifty-six young entrepreneurs between the ages of 20 to 40 years attended the trainings, with approximately 80 per cent being micro, small and medium enterprises, and 20 per cent still in the incubation period and starting levels.
Young entrepreneurs are very vulnerable to corrupt practices.
Networks such as the Young Entrepreneur Council or Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation will be available to guide or mentor them.
FCEF is also working very closely with the following organisation to promote Business Integrity:
■ Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC)
■ Ministry of Commerce Trade Tourism and Transport (MCTTT)
■ Youth Co-Lab
■ Registrar of Companies (ROC). FCEF acknowledges the support and contributions from UNDP, UNPRAC and UNCAC to conduct workshops around the country.
Waisea Vosa is the training officer for Business Integrity Toolkit. The views expressed in this article are his own and do not necessarily represent the views of this newspaper.