Regional Development in Fiji_JICA Semina

Regional Development in the Fiji Islands.- A case study of Lawaki Village, Tailevu North. Regional Development Seminar for JICA International Students in Japan, 2008. : 

Regional Development in the Fiji Islands.- A case study of Lawaki Village, Tailevu North. Regional Development Seminar for JICA International Students in Japan, 2008. By Koliyavu Ratu Timoci Turagayawa Photo: Anonymous

Background : 

Background Fiji has more than 330 islands located in the the South Pacific Ocean: 18,333 km2 land area Population of 931 741, population growth rate of 1.388% (2008) 35% below national poverty threshold (2004) Tropical climate without extremes of cold or hot Multiracial country - English is the official language GDP - $FJD 5,500 per capita (2007) –396 259JPY

Slide 3: 

Fig 1. This figure shows the organizational structure of the Regional Development Ministry in Fiji. Source: Fiji Government Website

Case Study- Small Grants Scheme: Lawaki Village - Eastern Division. : 

Case Study- Small Grants Scheme: Lawaki Village - Eastern Division. Location: 17°38'S, 178°34'E 20.71km from nearest town Village area 3.8105 km2. Figure 2. Map locations of the Fiji Islands (right) and the local area (left) Source: Google Earth, Anonymous.

Population and Age structure in Lawaki : 

Population and Age structure in Lawaki Total population = 175 ; 40 Families More than half of the population are middle aged (26-75years) About a third of them are students (7-25yrs) Pre-school aged children and older aged people accounted for the rest of the population (7 %).

Slide 6: 

INDUSTRY & STAPLES Photos: SPRH (USP), Fiji Government Website, JB, Anonymous Tourism Forestry Agriculture Subsistence farming and fishing Fruits and vegetables Root crops Sugarcane

Utilization of Resources : 

Utilization of Resources Photos: IAS (USP), QVSOB Website, Anonymous

Village Farming Report, 2008 : 

Village Farming Report, 2008 Figure 3.Total crop percentages for the last year. Refer to presentation summary for individual listings as numbered in this figure. Source: Lawaki Village Committee Report, 2008.

Aid/Incentives/Subsidy : 

Aid/Incentives/Subsidy Small scale framing subsidies (equipments, animals, cash incentives). Rural housing programs - village school (Japan Aid), a village dispensary (Nursing Project) and donation of school boat (for Qoma Island students). Village Hall and Drinking water Setting up utilities such as drinking water systems, electricity and upgrading of major roads and village footpaths (partly funded). Scholarships for tertiary studies (regional to national scale).

Major Challenges : 

Major Challenges Rising fuel/food prices----- increase in poverty Poor Organization structure Communal ownership of land Lack of technological skills Rapid increases in population Photo : Fiji Government Website

National Challenges : 

National Challenges Poor governance & corruption Rising food / fuel prices Food security and poverty Poor organization /implementation strategies of development Lack of funding and investments in national services sectors Lack of technological capacities, knowledge and skills Regular changes of government / policies Politically volatile status at present Photo: Anonymous

Current Mitigation Tools : 

Current Mitigation Tools Reforms / Reshuffles / Restructures Foreign Investment & Industry promotion Human resource development and capacity building initiatives/projects Private-Public partnerships (PPP’s) Bilateral & Multilateral initiatives

Government Role : 

Government Role Main machinery- proposals, policies, funding, implementers, monitoring. Initiator- PPP’s, Regionalism, International initiatives Fund distributor and follow ups

Private Sector Role : 

Private Sector Role Main Engine – innovations / facilitators for economic growth & development Exploiting marketing opportunities World class standards of services Policies and decision makers – state partnership Decentralization / Convergence Policies

Slide 15: 

Thank You

Acknowledgements : 

Acknowledgements Government of Fiji Government of Japan Japan International Cooperation Agency Regional Economic Development Initiatives, Japan Lawaki Village Committee, Fiji Korovou Initiative, Fiji