The Minister for Cooperatives, Manoa Kamikamica, has highlighted positive developments in women and youth-led cooperatives in Fiji. He noted that the Ministry has rolled out strategic initiatives to enhance female involvement in cooperatives, which include easier access to grants and financial resources.
Recent data indicates that the participation of women in cooperatives has increased from 12 percent to 20 percent this year. Kamikamica attributed this rise to targeted outreach campaigns, tailored training programs, and supportive financial systems designed to encourage greater female involvement.
In the past three years, 398 women and youth have been appointed to board positions across various cooperatives. The Minister emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to further boost the engagement of women and youth in cooperatives through the development of more gender- and youth-sensitive policies.