Many women in Fiji’s rural communities are being held back from growing viable small businesses by limited access to digital systems and basic services, Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran warned on Wednesday — and the ministry is preparing a village-by-village response later this year.
Speaking during a talanoa session, Kiran said everyday business tasks that urban entrepreneurs take for granted — travelling to town to obtain quotations, printing documents, or logging on to online platforms to apply for support or market products — are costly and time-consuming for women in villages. “It is not easy for you to travel to town to obtain quotations, and it is also not easy to print documents or access online systems,” she said, describing barriers that often prevent producers from qualifying for funding or formal markets.
To address the gap, the ministry plans to introduce targeted literacy and digital-skills training aimed at helping women use their mobile phones for basic business management and promotion. Kiran said pilot training programs will be rolled out village by village later this year, teaching participants how to operate online platforms, manage digital records and market products through mobile devices. “These pilot programs will help communities learn how to operate online and manage their businesses digitally,” she said.
The ministry is also exploring a more immediate market-access option: a central buying system or emporium that would purchase quality goods directly from women producers and provide immediate payment. Under the proposed model, village artisans and food producers who meet quality standards could sell straight into the program rather than navigating complex supply chains or waiting weeks for payment. “If you produce good quality products, we can purchase them directly. This means you can receive payment immediately while we continue working on larger systems like branding and marketing,” Kiran said.
Longer-term ambitions include developing a standardised branding approach for village-made products — a common tag or label that signals origin and quality — and eventual support for individual producers to register businesses and develop their own brands. But Kiran acknowledged many communities are not yet ready for full registration and branding because of infrastructure shortfalls. “Many villages do not have internet access, cannot print labels and cannot easily access supplies, so we need to work step by step,” she said.
The central buying system is framed as a bridge: it would create immediate income streams for women while the ministry builds digital literacy and other business capabilities that enable producers to graduate to independent branding and online sales. Kiran highlighted an aspirational trajectory in which rising income allows households to invest in connectivity — she cited access to services such as Starlink as an eventual goal — which in turn would unlock further production improvements and market expansion.
This announcement builds on broader government efforts to boost women’s economic participation. Earlier initiatives have focused on improving access to finance and aligning institutional frameworks under national plans to empower women entrepreneurs. The new emphasis on hands-on digital literacy and a pragmatic purchasing mechanism signals a shift toward delivering immediate, practical support in communities where connectivity and formalisation remain weak.
Kiran said the ministry will continue coordinating with organisations that promote local crafts and livelihoods, balancing promotional work with the practical interventions needed to convert village production into regular income. Specific dates for pilot rollouts and the operational design of the central buying scheme were not released; officials said more details will follow as the programs move from planning into implementation.
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