1,202 people from Nadroga and Navosa received $1,000 each under the Micro and Small Business Grants.
While speaking at the disbursement of grants, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said that the $1,000 grant assistance the recipients are receiving today is not a handout.
Bainimarama says they are receiving this assistance because they have all been verified by officials from the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade and the Fiji Development Bank.
He says they have submitted plans for their businesses that have been thoroughly assessed, and they can only use this grant assistance to purchase the materials that they have identified as essential to moving those business plans forward.
Bainimarama says this handover represents an investment of $1.1 million the Government is investing in their abilities and in their vision for success.
He says the scheme has grown into one of the Government’s most important and successful programs, and as of today they will have directly assisted over 8,000 businesses with grant funding totalling $7.9 million.
