The Permanent Secretary for the Office of the Prime Minister, Mr. Yogesh Karan received a courtesy call from the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, Mr Houlin Zhao in his office this morning.
This was Mr Zhao’s first visit to Fiji. Mr. Zhao is in the country with the aim of further establishing networks and enhancing the ITU’s relationship with the Fijian government and its stakeholders.
During the meeting, discussions were centered on IT infrastructure and development in Fiji, among other important issues.
Mr Zhao said the ITU has worked with Fiji on a few IT-related projects in the past and aims to continue this relationship with the purpose of bringing their services closer to the region.
He took the opportunity to highlight some of their upcoming events in the ITU calendar, which are (i) 2019 ITU Telecom World Conference in September in Budapest, Hungary; and (ii) 2019 World Radio Communication Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from 28 October to 22 November.
In response, Mr Karan highlighted Fiji’s extensive investments on the e-Platform and included initiatives such as e-Passports and online business registration.
He said Fiji has made significant progress in the area of IT in the region, however, further improvement is required in order to compete with its developed partners such as Australia and New Zealand.
The Bainimarama-Government, as part of its ongoing efforts of advancing Fiji’s digital connectivity, will also expand existing telecentres and open new ones around the country.
These developments will create a more conducive environment for commerce and development, including attracting new sources of investment and growth.