Women-owned micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Fiji face a financing shortfall of between FJ$200 million and FJ$250 million, the Women Entrepreneurs Business Council (WEBC) revealed as it launched the 2026 Women Invigorating the Nation (WIN) Convention in Suva. WEBC chairperson Jyoti Maharaj gave the figure in her welcome address at the two-day convention, which opened at the Grand Pacific Hotel on March 27.
Maharaj said the shortfall stems from a combination of structural barriers: limited collateral among women entrepreneurs, smaller average loan sizes that do not fit traditional lending models, and restricted access to digital payments and formal financial channels. “Finance exists but not always in forms that matched the real journey of an emerging business,” she told delegates, arguing that procurement pathways and market entry requirements are nominally open but practically geared to established incumbents rather than start-ups and growing ventures.
As of December 30 last year, more than 12,000 women-led businesses had accessed financing over the prior three years, Maharaj noted. Yet women still make up only 23.6 percent of Fiji’s registered MSMEs, even though they account for 49.3 percent of the population. The convention’s statistics underline a gap not only in capital but in representation: women hold 9 percent of seats in parliament, occupy 21 percent of board positions, and represent only 19 percent of business ownership, she said.
Maharaj used the convention theme — “Given to gain: Investing in women, transform our future” — to press for practical changes in how finance and market opportunities are structured. “When we say, ‘give to gain’, we are saying give women access, give women opportunity, give women trust and watch what they give back to this nation,” she said. Her address framed the financing gap as both a development constraint and an economic opportunity: citing the World Bank, she reminded the audience that equal female participation in the economy could raise global GDP by as much as 26 percent.
The WIN Convention brings together government representatives, private sector leaders and development partners to discuss measures that could close the gap — from alternative collateral arrangements and microfinance tailored to smaller loan sizes, to digital payment inclusion and procurement reforms that lower barriers for emerging suppliers. Maharaj highlighted that market access initiatives and procurement rules often presuppose scale and established track records, sidelining enterprises still “finding their footing.”
WEBC’s public figure for the financing gap adds specificity to an ongoing policy debate on how to mainstream gender-responsive financing into national economic planning. The timing of the announcement at a high-profile national forum aims to steer attention toward immediate, workable interventions as delegates consider recommendations over the two-day program. The convention is expected to produce a set of proposals for government and private-sector action to expand lending channels, redesign procurement practices and boost women’s access to digital financial services.
Maharaj closed by pointing to the grassroots impact of better financing: “They show up. They innovate. They employ. They feed families, sustain communities and build economies from the ground up.” The WIN Convention runs through March 28 and will be a focal point for stakeholders pushing for concrete mechanisms to bridge the estimated FJ$200–250 million financing gap for women-owned MSMEs.
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