Litia Cava 
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has revealed they are facing difficulties in securing sponsorship for the Great Council of Chiefs meeting scheduled to take place later this month.
According to the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs, the estimated cost of hosting the event is around $400,000, with the catering budget alone amounting to $30,000.
The ministry had reportedly requested the Chiefly Island of Bau to provide the catering budget.
Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka.
In an interview with FBC News, Rabuka stated that unless sponsors are found for the event, the budget will have to come from the iTaukei Affairs Ministry.
“It’s difficult to work out who could be sponsoring. Apart from looking at the various iTaukei Affairs bodies like the iTaukei Trust Fund, they will have to look at their articles and so on whether they could be asked to fund this and whether iTaukei companies or those that were established to assist iTaukei participation in commerce in Fiji.”
Rabuka also highlighted the ministry is yet to provide an interim report to the cabinet on the administrative and budgeting aspects of the meeting.
“I am looking at Fijian Holdings, those sorts of companies might want to come in and help, or even those companies that FHL has shares in. They might want to sponsor and put their brands up in the venue at the landing so that people who come know okay, they are associated with FHL, therefore why they are supporting iTaukei aspirations in this area and reduce the burden on the public on government funds.”
The GCC meeting is set to take place from the 23rd to the 25th of this month.
