Ema Ganivatu 
Aerial shot of Queen Elizabeth Drive [File Photo]
The Fijian government has been hit with wasteful expenses of over $90 million in just two projects, which were poorly planned, says Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad.
Prasad says the yet to be officially opened Queen Elizabeth Drive – a five-kilometre, single-lane road which is not even a main highway – has cost $60 million.
The minister says that under-investment in technical and vocational training (or TVET), almost $30 million dollars went down the drain in setting up poorly planned technical colleges.
Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad
He says they are reversing this and investing significantly in re-building Fiji’s skill base, by funding new entities such as Pacific Polytech.
Prasad says skills are a most critical short-term challenge for the Fijian economy adding that the country and government must change the way we think about our economy.
He says we need to be like our neighbours, Australia, and New Zealand, and must now learn to rely on importing skills to meet our skill shortages.
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