1,235 micro‑entrepreneurs in Ra given grants under government’s Micro and Small Business Grant initiative

A total of 1,235 micro‑entrepreneurs in the province of Ra have been given grants under the government’s Micro and Small Business Grant initiative today.

Minister for Industry Trade and Tourism Faiyaz Koya says this is the government's contribution to raising the living standards of all Fijians and it understands the needs and aspirations of ordinary Fijians who would like to start their own businesses.

Koya says a number of businesses in Ra were affected by recent natural disasters and 242 entrepreneurs will receive assistance to rehabilitate their businesses which were damaged during natural disasters.

He says the monitoring and evaluation of projects supported by this initiative is vital, therefore the Ministry will monitor and evaluate the businesses and through the exercise will single out those that are ready to progress to the next level.

Koya says the Ministry has identified businesses that are doing exceptionally well and the first round of assessment carried out early in the year revealed a success rate of 80%.

He says the they intend to raise the benchmark and they have dedicated resources to achieve this.