World Bank’s Regional Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific, Manuela Ferro

The World Bank has reaffirmed its commitment to improving the livelihoods of Fijians in the country.

This comes as the World Bank’s Regional Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific, Manuela Ferro, and other officials were on a two-day official tour of the country.

Ferro believes relevant investments are needed in the country to increase employment opportunities.

She adds Fiji should think about bringing in more private investment.

“I know many Fijians leave the country to make a better life and earn higher salaries abroad. We would increasingly like for Fiji to be able to offer those opportunities here too. And so that really requires thinking about how to bring more private investment into Fiji, to create more jobs for the existing firms to grow, for new firms to come, and for young entrepreneurs to set up a business without having to go through different government offices to get authorizations.”

Ferro adds that a collective approach is needed to further strengthen economic growth.

“And you have a population that is keen to contribute and that has a lot to offer, and so it’s also how to think about how to provide more opportunities and better services for the population.”

Climate change, health infrastructure, and tourism development-related engagements were also conducted between the World Bank and government officials.