The Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, met the new Vice-President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Mr Ahmed Saeed today, with the two leaders discussing a wide range of issues.
The Vice-President congratulated the Fijian Government for the successful hosting of the 52nd ADB Annual Meeting. He reaffirmed ADB’s support in both Fiji and the Pacific region as a whole as outlined in the new country partnership strategy, and acknowledged Fiji’s remarkable economic progress and leadership on key global issues.
The Attorney-General and Vice-President discussed Fiji’s huge untapped economic potential –– especially in the inherent value of the Fijian brand, and the prospect of leveraging that brand for innovative new projects like retirement villages, ICT enabled activities, renewable energy, and the development of the domestic bond market. VP Saeed noted that ADB is very keen to engage with the private sector to discuss and explore these opportunities.
Discussions also centered on the diversion of the Nadi river rehabilitation project, an important Government initiative announced in the last National Budget. The AG highlighted that a number of other multilateral institutions are also interested in co-financing this project.