Ritika Pratap 
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. [File Photo]
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has started his first official tour of Vanua Levu.
He will visit the three provinces in the Northern division Bua, Cakaudrove and Macuata in the next ten days.
The tour started with a briefing by divisional heads of government departments in the office of Commissioner Northern in Labasa this morning.
Rabuka will inspect or commission government-funded projects in the North.
These projects aim to strengthen climate change adaptation, disaster risk management, renewable energy and infrastructure development in local communities.
In addition to holding talanoa sessions with selected communities in Vanua Levu, the Prime Minister will also meet civil servants in Nabouwalu, Savusavu and Waiyevo in Taveuni.
The tour also marks the commencement of the Vanua Levu Tourism Development Programme that the Coalition Government announced recently.
Funded by the World Bank’s International Development Association facility, the development programme will drive the northern division’s tourism development plan with emphasis on destination development, investment infrastructure and essential services, an improved tourism-enabling environment and institutional coordination.
