29 March 20

Dear Members and Colleagues in Business

On behalf of our executive, I write to offer you our support, as we all make difficult decisions for our businesses in response to this unprecedented global health crisis. There is no doubt that what started as a health sector issue, will ultimately result in a major economic crisis, a crisis which is still unfolding. The number of active cases of COVID-19 and its related deaths are still rising in numbers. While the future is difficult to predict with any kind of certainty, we do know that THIS WILL END, and we will get back to better times.

We must never forget that we are all in this together, and we are stronger as a united force. We will fight this fight most effectively with a collective and collaborative spirit.

It is in this spirit that the Fijian Government has delivered a COVID-19 Response Budget this week on the 26 March 2020. The various stakeholders who have partnered with Government are the banks, financing institutions, and hire purchase providers, FNPF, Reserve Bank of Fiji, EFL, WAF, and others, to offer support and goodwill.

The budget has delivered certain initiatives to assist business for its continuity during these extraordinary times, and we at FCCI stand ready to guide and help you access those initiatives, examples of which include the loan repayment holiday, the employee FNPF assistance, and so forth. 

I ask you all to feel free to reach out to us, and on behalf of the board of FCCI I wish you all the best in your efforts to get through this difficult time.

Finally, please keep the collective and community spirit alive by staying in touch with us and each other as we work on our single mission - to protect lives and livelihoods, and our businesses. Please remember to adhere to Fijian Government, and World Health Organization directives to ensure the safety and survival of the most vulnerable in our society.

We will overcome these uncertain times where humanity itself is under threat, and this is our common uniting factor.

All the best, stay strong and safe,

Dr Nur Bano Ali

PRESIDENT