Through the Young Entrepreneurship Scheme (YES), Christopher Vanualailai and Dhirish Kumar both received a grant of $30,000 each to assist with their business ventures.

Vanualailai owns High Flyer Enterprises Pte Limited, which will introduce Environmental Monitoring to Fiji and the Pacific, and Mr Kumar will introduce his paintball business to Suva.

Minister for Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport, Faiyaz Koya said the Fijian Government has invested over $100 million into micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) during the handover.

He added that the YES Programme is one such initiative through the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport, targeting the development of young entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas.

“I am told that through our Monitoring exercise of our past 10 recipients, we have close to 90% success rate. In fact, these Fijians have already created more than 30 jobs.”

Minister Koya added that young entrepreneurs can be catalysts of change when they are resourced appropriately.