The Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation launched its second group of small business entrepreneurs under the Fiji Enterprise Engine or FEE program this evening.

FCEF Chief Executive, Kameli Batiweti says 15 businesses will benefit from this program by equipping them with the necessary skills to manage a business.

Batiweti says FCEF with the support of Australia’s Market Development Facility has been responding to the need of many Fijians to gain critical knowledge on how to run a business.

“They determined that the businesses would need great support, which saw the development of ‘Survive, Revive and Grow’ program, aimed at assisting MSMEs to pivot and to adapt to new ways of doing business.”

Launching the event, Acting Prime Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says such a program is critical to boosting the Micro Small and Medium Enterprise sector, which contributes to 18 percent of our GDP.

Sayed-Khaiyum says the training provided through the FEE program will also address certain challenges faced by Fijians in securing a loan to establish a business.

“One of the main issue for example that FDB spoke about is that people make their applications and not all the information is there. If all the information is there then of course they can make decisions in a quick way.”

The launch coincides with World MSME Day and includes small and medium business owners, offering a diverse range of services and products.

The FCEF CEO says that since the inception of the program in 2019, graduates have gone on to establish successful businesses and provide coaching and mentoring to those hoping to venture into the sector.