HON. LAISENIA TUITUBOU
Minister for Youth and Sports

• Vanua Lomaivuna Korolevu Na Turaga ni Vunivalu
• The Roko Tui Naitasiri
• Provincial Administrator
• FNU Facilitators
• Members of Viria District and Naqali Village
• Invited Guests
• Ladies and Gentlemen
============================

Bula vinaka, Namaste, Salaam aleikum and good morning to you all.

It is indeed a privilege, at your invitation, to be here this morning as the Chief Guest to close this Sustainable Livelihood Workshop.

I must thank the Fiji National University for facilitating and bringing this training to the rural setting. This will greatly assist the local communities in the vicinity of Viria district and the surrounding settlements. I must also acknowledge the assistance provided by the Naitasiri Provincial Council and the Vanua in overseeing the successful completion of the workshop.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is pleasing to note the equal participation and contribution made by all the participants. This workshop has come at an opportune time – when the world is contending with feeding nearly 7 billion people within the context of repeated natural disasters, economic and financial challenges and conflicts. It is estimated by the World Health Organisation that should these trends continue, the global food supply and food security would deteriorate further if, perhaps when, the world population reaches 9 billion by 2050.

The statistics are quite alarming and this also includes the rate at which unemployment is growing. Many individuals, especially the youths, find it difficult to secure employment. We have even seen many graduates struggle to find a job or keep a job. The Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, through the National Employment Centre (NEC), registers over a thousand job seekers annually. This figure is reason for concern. Thus the Government is committed to provide workshops and short courses to individuals so that they are able to find employment or continue with further studies. In particular, this is facilitated by my Ministry as the lead Ministry in the non-formal education sector.

I believe throughout this workshop the facilitators have been able to facilitate 14 different short courses including sawing, carpentry, hospitality, electrical, arts, plumbing and others. These courses will open a doorway for you all and the skills acquired during the workshop will further assist in your future endeavours.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Ministry, through our non-formal education program, has provided many youths an opportunity to be employed and sustain their livelihoods over many years. This non-formal education programme includes carpentry training, empowerment skills training, agricultural training and others. I believe that the FNU follows our model. Through these programs providing accredited training, we seek to maximize the potential of our youths and provide them with an avenue to achieve their goals in life.

In recent years the Fijian Government has made a commitment of reform designed to fundamentally transform Fiji’s economy and future. A spate of reforms in key legislation, a reorganisation of many institutions and an increased focus on entrepreneurship has won this country many accolades from our regional and international partners. Indeed, our economy has grown for eight consecutive years and this year, the Reserve Bank has projected that it will grow over 4%. The Government, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, is determined to strengthen the youth sector in Fiji. The sole reason for this exercise is to have a vibrant youth sector in the near future which contributes to the economy, reducing poverty and equalising living standards.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is not limited to providing non–formal education but includes the areas of sports and development of sporting facilities. Our vision is to build values that lead to success, hence our commitment in ensuring that Fijian youths receive access to proper sporting and non-formal education facilities in a coordinated way. Recently, during a visit to Ra, the Ministry confirmed that many youths were able to find employment after the successful completion of the Ministry’s carpentry training. A handful of youths are also engaged in community service where they are rebuilding houses that were demolished during Tropical Cyclone Winston.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope that these short courses will enable you to achieve your goals and aspirations because they are our national goals and aspirations. Please encourage other youths to take up courses to have a purpose driven life. Further, please work with my Ministry to support you all to start up your own small businesses that will benefit the District of Viria.

With those words, I congratulate you all and hope that the skills learnt during the workshop assist you in your future endeavours.

Vinaka Vakalevu, Dhanyavaad, Shokran and thank you.