Fiji has opened a new innovation hub in Suva aimed at helping entrepreneurs turn ideas into businesses, jobs and new economic opportunities.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Industries, Commerce, Business Development and Public Enterprises Manoa Kamikamica officially opened the Fiji Innovation Hub Space at the Reserve Bank of Fiji.
Kamikamica said the hub would provide entrepreneurs with access to mentors, investors, development partners and other innovators as they develop ideas and take them toward commercialisation.
“Today is about much more than the opening of a space. It is an important milestone for Fiji,” Kamikamica said.
He said innovation was increasingly important as Fiji sought to overcome the constraints of a small domestic market, geographical distance and exposure to climate-related shocks.
Innovation was “not a luxury” but a necessity, particularly as artificial intelligence, fintech, e-commerce, agtech and climate technology create new opportunities for Fijian businesses, he said.
Improved digital connectivity is also allowing businesses based in Suva, Labasa and Savusavu to reach customers and markets beyond Fiji.
The Fiji Innovation Hub was developed through a partnership led by the Reserve Bank of Fiji and the UNCDF Pacific Digital Economy Programme, funded by the European Union and the governments of Australia and New Zealand.
Creative HQ, the Ministry of Industries, Commerce and Business Development, Mastercard, HFC Bank and Fiji Airways also supported the initiative.
The initiative began as a discussion in late 2024 and has developed into a multiyear programme focused on strengthening entrepreneurship and technology-led solutions.
Over the past year, the hub has provided training and capability development, organised hackathons and brought together innovators from urban centres, maritime communities and the Fijian diaspora.
Kamikamica said the permanent facility would provide a base for entrepreneurs to build partnerships, test ideas and develop businesses.
He said the hub’s success should ultimately be measured by the enterprises, investment, employment and opportunities it generates rather than by the facility itself or the number of activities it hosts.
The initiative supports the government’s broader goal of developing a more productive, inclusive and resilient economy, with innovation playing a greater role in strengthening micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and private-sector development.
Kamikamica said the government would continue working to remove barriers, improve the investment environment, strengthen digital infrastructure, expand financial inclusion and create policies that allow innovation to flourish.
He also welcomed additional support for the initiative, including sponsorship for the hub’s second year of activities from the Fiji Development Bank and the Ministry of Policing and Communications.
Kamikamica encouraged entrepreneurs using the facility to challenge conventional approaches, take risks and learn from setbacks as they develop solutions to Fiji’s economic and social challenges.
He said the hub represented confidence in Fiji’s people and its emerging generation of entrepreneurs, whose ideas could develop into new businesses and industries and strengthen the country’s position as an innovation centre in the Pacific.
