Fiji Development Bank Champions Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy

Suva, Fiji. Last week, the Fiji Development Bank (FDB), was invited to attend a women’s weaving, tailoring and fabric printing workshop organised by the Nawaka Village Women Group.

The event was facilitated by the Bank’s Nadi branch comprised of Mr. Avineet Kant and Ms. Miriama Turaganivalu, where they held an awareness session on its products and services. This included focus on its financial literacy programme, loan for women entrepreneurs’ product and Small & Medium Business (SME) loans. The team also provided advisory services regarding FDB’s financial literacy templates available on the website.

Held at the Nawaka Community Hall, Nawaka, Nadi, there was a great turnout with (96%) 53 women and (4%) 2 men in attendance. The women were quite keen on learning more about the loan for women entrepreneurs’ product where they were thoroughly informed on the DIGITAL application process and requirements.

The FDB CEO, Mr. Saud Minam, salutes the interest shown by the women that reflects their aspirations and determination to succeed in their respective ventures.

“As we continue with our month-long awareness and educational programme for women entrepreneurs, FDB believes in fostering economic development at the grassroots level. Through our extensive outreaches, the Bank not only imparts knowledge but also supports communities such as Nawaka, on the path towards economic growth and prosperity.”

“The application submissions for the women’s loan product has been supercharged by the Bank’s awareness campaign along with these crucial outreach efforts, and we find a significant percentage of attendees do eventually translate to loan recipients,” he explained.

He also added saying that, “53 women is an exceptional turnout. Momentum is certainly building all over the country for women run businesses and FDB is at the forefront of this exciting development.”

The continued empowerment and support of women in the Nawaka community by FDB is a testament to the focus on women’s entrepreneurship. With the addition of financial literacy, this demonstrates a commitment to addressing gender equality and economic advancement.