Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Cooperatives, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Hon. Manoa Kamikamica, engaged in discussions with Ontario’s Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Hon. Lisa Thompson, about potential economic growth opportunities between Fiji and Canada.

The discussions focused on industries such as Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), agriculture, and Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

The meeting took place at the Legislative Assembly in Ontario yesterday.

Hon. Kamikamica led a delegation of Government representatives and private sector agencies as part of the Fiji North-America Business Mission.

The meeting in Ontario marked the conclusion of the team’s 10-day mission across North America.

“We have not been in this part of the world for some time, so we are here to make connections and see how we can work through in terms of things that are of interest from outside into certain areas that we can develop,” stated Hon. Kamikamica.

Earlier in the week, the Fiji delegation hosted a Business Forum in Ontario.

Reflecting on the forum, Hon. Kamikamica said, “There were a lot of businesses that turned up at that meeting.

“We also had visitations with the Indian Chamber of Commerce as well. Because of the demographics, these business leaders came to see what they can do in Fiji as well.

“In terms of the audio-visual film industry, we have the Survivor series and the Love Island series filming in Fiji, and we hope to scale it up and create the infrastructure so we can have movies going there as well,” he added.

Hon. Thompson expressed her willingness to collaborate with Fiji, highlighting the importance of building relationships and exploring mutual opportunities.

“We are willing to explore opportunities to work better together, and it starts by building relationships. By having you here in Ontario, we look forward to how we can take things further,” said Hon. Thompson.

The Deputy Prime Minister also emphasized the need to create an ecosystem to support small businesses in Fiji, highlighting the success of Ontario’s trade missions and the potential for collaboration and growth between the two regions.

The Fiji North-America Business Mission was a collaboration between Investment Fiji, Ministry of Trade, Cooperatives, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications and Fiji Trade Commission North America, aimed at reconnecting with diaspora communities and tapping into their interest in investing into Fiji while also looking for market opportunities for local exporters.

The Business Mission, which began in Surrey, Canada on May 4th and included a stop in San Francisco, USA, concluded yesterday in Ontario, Canada.