Out of the shadows
Fashion emerges as new business IN a span of 10 years, fashion has emerged as a growing new industry in Fiji. This is evidenced in the fact that Fiji Fashion Week (FJFW) celebrates its 10th anniversary this May with a
Business
Entrepreneur defies the odds to survive
SIX years ago, a physically challenged woman in a wheelchair ventured out into the streets to sell her home-made meals and pastries. At the time, she met with disapproval from people she knew. The local authorities
More work, fewer workers
Deadline looms for Northern Mariana Islands ONCE the clock turns 12 midnight on December 31, 2019, a cloud of uncertainty would hang in the air in the Northern Mariana Islands. That is the expiration date of the CNMI
Vanuatu learns from the Italian Alps
I MET a fascinating business woman this week, and she doesn’t much want to be identified, just to let people know of her products. It’s the sort of occupation which has since forever engrossed the natives of
Demand for energy savers
Concern over lack of trained mechanics AS more and more Fijians are switching from conventional vehicles to the more fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles, the demand for properly trained mechanics something the Fijian market
Paradise lost
New land laws drive foreign property owners out of Fiji “The plan had been for us to retire, live on Koro [Island] for the rest of our lives and research and film the reefs. Simple. Then two things happened.
The bu boss
How the bu changed one man’s life WHEN the entrepreneurial bug bit Inia Komaicawalevu in 2000, he didn’t realise he was to be more than his own boss. He quit his job of 10 years at the Public Works
Sign of CONFIDENCE
PAPUA New Guinea has been a major investor in the Fijian market in recent years with around $FJD174 million investments. Since 2010, a total 14 investment projects were registered by Papua New Guinea citizens or
Kava legacy tested
AS a country with many more cultivars of what the region generally knows as kava, Vanuatu is pleased to have scientists of the WHO / FAO Codex Alimentarius studying in country the large number of noble kavas produced
Long way to go for Pacer Plus
Forum leaders fail to resolve trade dispute THE Forum leaders meeting in Pohnpei could not resolve ongoing disputes over the PACER-Plus trade agreement. Since 2009, Forum member countries have been negotiating
Mining madness
Namosi gold and copper mine exploration with a flawed plan THE same mine plan and the flaws in it that prompted the halt of mining in early 2012 is currently being used for copper and gold exploration by the Namosi
Our link to the world
THE region’s communications needs continue to grow as technological advances make contact so much easier across the globe. In the Pacific, however, cost has always been an inhibitor. But a new cable link will make
Cash crash
Banks put stop to money transfers AS governments begin to squeeze out the financial supporters of global terrorism and put pressure on drug traffickers, the innocent have been caught in the crossfire. Millions of people
Digicel acquires Sky Pacific – with restrictions
TELECOMMUNICATIONS giant Digicel has acquired ownership and direct control of the region’s largest satellite-based television network, Sky Pacific. Formal acquisition, from 1st April 2016, came six months after
Road to recovery: Fiji growth forecast in the wake of Winston
THE Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) expects economic growth for the rest of this year to be driven by significant post-Cyclone Winston reconstruction work and continuing strong activity in the retail and tourism sectors. It
Bank weighs in on PNG economy concerns
THE economy continues to be a worry for Papua New Guinea. Despite reassurances from the government and positive projections by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), severe revenue shortfalls and expending budget
Doubts over PACER Plus
Trade adviser defends agreement “THERE is no reason to doubt the sincerity of Australia and New Zealand in relation to the commitments they have undertaken” PACER Plus, when it comes into force, does not
Reviving the coffee industry on Tanna Island
Coffee is one of the main sources of livelihood for the people of Tanna Island. Home to one of the Pacific’s few active volcanoes, Yasur, its rich soils, abundant sunshine and rainfall, makes Tanna one of the best
MINING High risk, controversial business
On Viti Levu, the areas marked with shaded red are all prospective mining areas where 55 companies are currently carrying out works to see what minerals or metals can be found. The major player in the Namosi area is
SAVING SUGAR
Action for change WHEN the Fijian Prime Minister recently stood up at the recent International Sugar Organisations meeting in London and declared “we do not intend to give up on sugar cane in Fiji,” he was
CYBER FRAUD A crime without borders
FIJI, as one of the South Pacific’s most developed economies, is fast becoming a prime target for “cyber thieves” across the Globe. According to the Fiji Intelligence Unit (FIU), in just two years,
Corrupted trade routes in the Pacific
Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomons and Samoa top global trade estimates for illicit financial flows THREE of the world’s top ten most corrupted trade routes involve Pacific Islands countries. In the Pacific,
Pacific countries lose US $12.1billion in illicit financial flows
EIGHT Pacific countries suffered losses of US$12.1 billion over 10 years in what global finance reformers describe as “illicit financial flows.” Papua New Guinea ($4.3b) and Fiji ($2.7b) recorded the most
