In the past four years the Small and Micro Business Grant Scheme has supported a total of 17,970 recipients with a total investment of $17.4 million.

Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Faiyaz Koya revealed this while delivering his ministerial speech in Parliament and also highlighted that the government support has impacted the lives of approximately 89,850 people.

He says they have assisted 10,760 males and 7,210 female entrepreneurs.

Koya says the monitoring and evaluation exercise has revealed an 80.3 percent success rate of those assessed so far.

Koya then told the Parliamentarians that some of the successful recipients were present in Parliament and he urged the opposition members to meet these hardworking Fijians and they are welcome to hear their inspirational stories and satisfaction with respect to the level of support that is being provided through government’s initiative.

While responding to Koya’s statement, SODELPA’s MP, Salote Radrodro questioned whether Koya has any reliable database that captures all the recipients of the Small and Micro Business Grant Scheme.

NFP’s Prem Singh has told Parliament that the government cannot take credit for just giving $1,000 as the recipients are working hard themselves to make profits.