Shania Shayal Prasad 
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Manoa Kamikamica [right] during his visit to Tonga [Source: Ministry of Trade, Co-operatives, SMEs and Communications/Facebook]
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Manoa Kamikamica, says the Fijian community in Tonga can play a key role in strengthening business and investment ties between the two countries.
Speaking regarding a trade and investment mission to Tonga earlier this month, Kamikamica described the estimated 2,000 Fijians living and working in Tonga as a valuable but underutilised asset in Fiji’s regional economic strategy.
The Deputy Prime Minister adds stresses that the trade mission was the first of its kind to Tonga in several years and comes as Fiji aims to grow exports to Tonga to $220 million by 2027.
“So we’ve also been able to collaborate with Tonga Business Council on this visit, which is very good. And hopefully we can develop more formal ways to engage with Tonga in terms of the business to business sector.”
Kamikamica says the diaspora can act as “ambassadors” for trade and investment by helping to connect Fijian exporters with Tongan markets, and by promoting business confidence on the ground.
He adds that the government is now looking at ways to engage more formally with the Fijian community in Tonga as part of broader efforts to deepen bilateral ties.
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