[File Photo]

Former Government Statistician chief Kemueli Naiqama has emphasized the urgent need for the development of a national population policy.

Highlighting the failure of past governments’ policies to effectively tackle population-related issues, Naiqama stresses the absence of a comprehensive national population policy.

“There has been policies from one government to another, there have been development plans 1-9 or 1-10, there has been national development strategic plans, we have heard about the people’s charter in 2008-2009, the 2020 Blueprint affirmative actions for iTaukei, the green growth and today we talk about blue growth. All of the above development plans missed to address the common denominator which is population and the people and we may go and finish off all the colours under the rainbow yet we still miss the mark to addressing population and the people.”

Naiqama underscored the importance of studying, reinforcing, and utilizing population data for informed decision-making.

He emphasized that a clear understanding of the population dynamics is essential to establish targeted development programs and formulating effective approaches to benefit all citizens.

The policy advisor at the Prime Minister’s Office highlighted the interconnectedness of various socioeconomic factors, such as poverty, inequality, social security, wealth distribution, resource sustainability, and employment.

Naiqama argued that all these issues share a common denominator: the population.

With Fiji facing pressing challenges in these areas, the absence of a national population policy is seen as a critical gap that needs to be addressed promptly.

Naiqama’s call for the development of such a policy aims to provide a comprehensive framework to address these concerns and pave the way for sustainable development.

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