1. PREMIER LI CONGRATULATES FIJIAN PRIME MINISTER – Newly elected Prime Minister, Rear Admiral Voreqe Bainimarama has received a congratulatory message from the Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, H.E Li Keqian.
2. MINISTER TO PRIORITISE ON THE PLIGHT OF THE NEEDY – The new Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Rosy Sofia Akbar has emphasized the need for efficient customer service delivery for women, children and the disadvantaged groups of people of Fiji.
3. ‘NA YALI KO GAU’ FARMERS AWARDS – The Ministry of Agriculture this week awarded farmers of the ‘Na Yali Ko Gau’ Group on the Island of Gau, Lomaiviti as recognition of their hard work for the past year.
4. TRANSPORT MINISTRY LINKS MARITIME TRANSPORT TO ECONOMIC GROWTH –Maritime Transportation is an essential enabler to the continued development and future growth of Fiji’s economy, says the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure permanent secretary Francis Kean.
5. MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS WELCOME RATU INOKE – Minister for Foreign Affairs Ratu Inoke Kubuabola is looking forward to guide Fiji’s foreign policy to another level.
1. PREMIER LI CONGRATULATES FIJIAN PRIME MINISTER
Newly elected Prime Minister, Rear Admiral Voreqe Bainimarama has received a congratulatory message from the Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, H.E Li Keqian.
In the message sent this week, Mr Li said that under PM Bainimarama’s leadership, the government and the Fijian people would make steady and new achievements in national development.
“China attaches great importance to growing its relations with Fiji, and supports the efforts by the people of Fiji to independently choose their development path that suits to their national conditions,” Mr Li said.
“I am ready to work with you to seize opportunities to strengthen dialogue, exchanges and cooperation between our two countries in all fields so as to move forward China-Fiji relations toward even greater development and bring more benefits to our two peoples.”
The Chinese Premier added that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Fiji in 1975, both countries have made remarkable progress in strengthening ties.
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2. MINISTER TO PRIORITISE ON THE PLIGHT OF THE NEEDY
The new Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Rosy Sofia Akbar has emphasized the need for efficient customer service delivery for women, children and the disadvantaged groups of people of Fiji.
During a briefing with the senior management and staff of the Ministry this morning, Mrs Akbar said that those that come to social welfare offices for assistance should not be turned away.
“We need to be very sensitive towards elderly and disadvantaged persons who come to us for help. They have no one to turn to, if they had money and good health and youth they wouldn’t come to us so we have to go down and understand the real depth of their problems.
“There are helpless, they turn to agencies they see a ray of hope that is the kind of atmosphere we want to create in our offices. Friendly customer services is a core deliverable inculcated into the Ministry’s vision, “Empowering the disadvantaged and women,” we should focus on putting a smile on their faces and getting out of our way to reach out and assist them,” Mrs Akbar reminded the Ministry staff.
Minister Akbar reiterated the need for officers to always take a human approach when dealing with poverty alleviation cases, whilst performing their duties with integrity and honesty.
“We must always remember that we are humans first and officer’s later and humanistic approach should be maintained.We need to have humane approach to things-let’s not make their problems bigger-they come to us for solutions and let’s think on the solutions-nothing is impossible,” Minister Akbar explained.
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3. ‘NA YALI KO GAU’ FARMERS AWARDS
The Ministry of Agriculture this week awarded farmers of the ‘Na Yali Ko Gau’ Group on the Island of Gau, Lomaiviti as recognition of their hard work for the past year.
The Na Yali Ko Gau group was established in 2013 by farmers of Nacavanadi Village who have also implemented an agricultural development program to enhance food security. The program includes learning better ways of planting crops and vegetables and also to produce for the export market.
The Ministry’s Senior Agriculture officer (Lomaiviti) Nimilote Waqabaca said the event allowed these farmers to be a role model to other potential farmers within the group and Gau as a whole.
“The awards were an incentive and also a boost for these farmers to maintain their productivity,” he said.
The event was organised at the Navanadi Community Hall with prizes on agro-inputs kindly donated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).
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4. TRANSPORT MINISTRY LINKS MARITIME TRANSPORT TO ECONOMIC GROWTH
Maritime Transportation is an essential enabler to the continued development and future growth of Fiji’s economy, says the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure permanent secretary Francis Kean.
This was highlighted by the Permanent secretary at the World Maritime Day celebrations held in Labasa today.
Mr Kean said the Ministry in partnership with relevant stakeholders including the Maritime Safety Authority of would continue to play a role in the growth of the shipping industry.
“Most importantly the Ministry will continue to support stakeholders by creating an environment that would encourage compliance through self-regulation.”
Mr Kean said that the maritime industry has undertaken a major transformation for the last four years.
“Apart from the introduction of a new maritime legislation, several other key areas of the industry have been revamped to ensure a vibrant and dynamic maritime industry.”
He added that this included the review of the Fiji Franchise Shipping Scheme which has been successfully completed and now awaiting implementation.
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5. MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS WELCOME RATU INOKE
Minister for Foreign Affairs Ratu Inoke Kubuabola is looking forward to guide Fiji’s foreign policy to another level.
Ratu Inoke whose journey as the overseer of all those working tirelessly to maintain Fiji’s foreign relations was renewed when he was sworn in before President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau on Wednesday said that he was happy to continue as the Foreign Affairs Minister.
Been the Minister of Fiji’s external relations since 2009, Ratu Inoke said that Fiji’s foreign policy had undergone a paradigm shift since 2007.
Ratu Inoke, who was accorded a humble welcoming ceremony by the management and staff of the ministry in Suva today, said he was looking forward to the work laid out for him in the next four years.
Ratu Inoke told the members of his ministry that he enjoyed working with them for the past five years and was looking forward to working with them in this new term.
He encouraged them to maintain their hard work and sacrifices and to work with him steer the ministry forward.
With Fiji’s foreign policy adopting a “Friend to All and Enemy to None” stance, Ratu Inoke believed the onus was on every members of the ministry to achieve that objective.
Fiji has opened its missions in Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil, South Korea, Abu Dhabi, Geneva and Shanghai during Ratu Inoke’s leadership.
Fiji has formal diplomatic relations with 163 countries.
Ratu Inoke who was enroute for the Climate Change Summit in New York early this week had to return from Seoul for the swearing in ceremony.
He is flying out of the country tonight with Prime Minister Rear Admiral Voreqe Bainimarama for the United Nations General Assembly and other side meetings.
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