A village profiling exercise by the Ministry of i-Taukei Affairs has helped implement integrated plans to address village and community needs.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says this is part of the i-Taukei Affairs Board five-year Strategic Development Plan from 2018 to 2022.

Bainimarama says the implementation is tracked well and has been successful in areas such as natural disaster response, climate adaptation, and handling of the pandemic.

“Some of these projects include the water catchment system at Nakoro Village in Nadroga, contour-line farming at Bureta Village, Lomaiviti to stop soil erosion, construction of a seawall at Cuvu Village in Nadroga, solar electrification at Dromuna, Bau, Tailevu, and other climate-change adaptation programs such as food security and reforestation initiatives.”

Bainimarama says this also includes the Sauvaki ni Vanua Program which focuses on empowering and protecting women, youth and children, and strengthening governance processes within the iTaukei administration forums.

Capacity building programs through financial literacy have also been conducted to encourage the culture of savings and investment at the community level.

The government through the i-Taukei Affairs Ministry provides free business advice for existing and potential entrepreneurs, including identifying sources of new capital and appropriate market opportunities.