Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has made reducing poverty in rural and maritime communities a central government priority, saying the effort will be driven by the new National Development Plan 2025–2029 and long-term Vision 2050 goals. Rabuka set out the strategy in a written response to a parliamentary question, citing the latest Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) which, he said, shows nearly 30 percent of Fijians living below the poverty line — with rural areas disproportionately affected.
In the written reply, Rabuka stressed that while the government is pursuing a range of interventions, it would be “premature” to provide a definitive tally of families lifted out of poverty since 2023 because updated national data is still being compiled. “Poverty reduction must be addressed with statistical rigor and evidence-based reporting,” he said, underlining the administration’s insistence on careful monitoring before declaring success.
Rabuka outlined a multi-pronged approach focused on infrastructure, social protection, economic empowerment and improved access to essential services. He highlighted investments in roads, electrification, water and sanitation to reduce isolation and improve livelihoods, and said agriculture and fisheries programmes have been strengthened alongside expanded social protection schemes to raise household incomes and expand economic participation.
A flagship support mechanism, the Development Grant programme, has backed 164 rural community projects since 2023, the Prime Minister said, benefiting more than 24,600 Fijians nationwide. Rabuka described these projects as “practical, targeted and impact-driven,” addressing immediate needs while building long-term resilience, and said the government is working with development partners to broaden access to finance, technical support and innovation for rural enterprises.
The latest comments build on previous examples of government-backed community initiatives. In November, Rabuka officiated the commissioning of a community-funded water meter project in Burerua village, Tailevu — an instance officials cited as emblematic of combining community initiative with government support to deliver basic services. Those localised projects reflect the administration’s wider focus as it balances large-scale fiscal priorities, such as managing national debt and boosting revenue, with on-the-ground investments aimed at poverty reduction.
Longer-term, Rabuka said the government’s objective is to transition households from subsistence living into sustainable economic participation that links rural producers to national markets. With the HIES indicating persistent rural disadvantage and national poverty figures still being refined, the Prime Minister framed the current period as one of scaling interventions and improving the evidence base to measure outcomes against the National Development Plan and Vision 2050.