MINISTER FOR LANDS & MINERAL RESOURCES HON. FILIMONI VOSAROGO'S ADDRESS AT THE FIJI TECH SUMMIT 2025

CEO of Datec, Mr Vinit Nand
Distinguished Guests;
Event Sponsors;
Technology Partners;
Captains of Industry and Leaders from Fiji’s Tech Sector;
Fellow participants from different sectors;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
Bula Sia and a very Good Morning to you all!
 
I am pleased to join you all this morning as we commence this year’s Fiji Tech Summit.
 
On behalf of the Government of Fiji, I extend a warm welcome to all delegates, distinguished guests, and participants joining us to celebrate innovation, collaboration, and digital progress.
 
I would also like to extend our appreciation to Datec Fiji and its partners for their continued commitment to hosting this important summit that brings technology leaders to Fiji every year.
 
Congratulations to Datec on reaching your 40th anniversary — a remarkable milestone indeed.
 
As a subsidiary of Vodafone Fiji and ultimately owned by our FNPF members, Datec’s success is also the success of every Fijian. It represents decades of leadership, innovation, and service to our country and region.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Fiji Tech Summit continues to be the largest and most dynamic platform for innovation, collaboration, and digital transformation in Oceania.
 
Today, the summit has brought together 29 Global Technology leaders to Fiji and over 400 delegates.
 
This year’s theme, “Unlock the Future: AI, Cybersecurity, Sustainability, Cloud, and Digital Transformation” reflects the Government’s bold vision of being one of the leading digital economies in the Asia Pacific region.
 
I trust that through this summit, each of us will discover new ideas and perspectives that we can take back and put into practice in our respective roles.
 
National Digital Strategy
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In April, we launched Fiji’s first-ever National Digital Strategy 2025-2030 — a strategy founded on the belief that the velocity of technology adoption and innovation is the key to unlocking new possibilities across every sector of our society.
 
And I am pleased to share that we have already achieved many of the key milestones we set out for the first year of our National Digital Strategy. Among the most significant are:
 
●     Successful Deployment of 5G
●     Establishment of National Computer Emergency Response Team  (Fiji CERT)
●     Finalisation of the National Privacy and Personal Data Protection Policy
●     Development of the National Cybersecurity and Resilience Strategy - which we aim to table to Cabinet before the end of the year
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Looking ahead, I am equally excited about several major initiatives planned for the coming years, including:
 
●     Developing a National Cloud Policy
●     Rolling out and adopting the National ID
●     Developing a National AI Framework
●     Making 80% of key government services accessible online
●     And the goal of creating of 40,000 ICT jobs
 
And considering this is the first national Tech Summit since the launch of our strategy, I encourage everyone to download a copy from the digitalFIJI website. Take a moment to read through it and see how the Government plans to drive digital transformation across Fiji over the next four to five years.
 
Digital Transformation Efforts
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Government through the Digital Government Transformation Office has also been advancing its digital transformation agenda — primarily through the digitalFIJI initiative and the ongoing businessNOW project.
 
Last year, we launched the Starting a Business sub-system — a platform that brings together all the key agencies involved in business registration and makes their related e-services accessible through a single, unified portal.
 
This has made it easier, faster, and more transparent than ever for anyone to start a business in Fiji.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This year, we embarked on developing the second sub-system under the businessNOW project — the Building Permits Approval sub-system. This new platform, which is expected to launch soon, will simplify and streamline the entire process of obtaining construction permits.
 
Through these digitalisation efforts, the Government is making it easier than ever for our people to access public services — reducing queues, eliminating unnecessary delays, and improving the overall efficiency of service delivery.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are also undertaking a comprehensive mapping of government services to identify those that need to be urgently digitalised. Our focus will be on proactively digitally transforming these services to ensure that every Fijian can access government support and opportunities quickly, conveniently, and transparently.
 
Cybersecurity and Resilience
Ladies and Gentlemen,
When we talk about digitalisation, we all recognise that cybersecurity can no longer be an afterthought.
 
With greater connectivity comes greater vulnerability. Cyber threats are a real and growing concern, not just for large corporations, but for small businesses, government institutions, and even individuals.
 
It is for this reason the Government has been developing the National Cybersecurity and Resilience Strategy 2025-2030.
 
In an era where cyber threats continue to evolve in scale and sophistication, this strategy aims to strengthen our national cybersecurity posture and enhance our collective resilience against these ever-evolving threats.
 
The strategy is expected to be finalised soon, after which we will move to the most crucial phase — implementing the activities outlined in its implementation plan.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We also recently established Fiji’s Computer Emergency Response Team (Fiji CERT), which for the first time has given the Government the capability to respond to and coordinate nationally significant cyber incidents.
 
In addition to its operational role, Fiji CERT has also been conducting cyber awareness sessions. We expect these efforts to expand further—ensuring that our institutions are better informed about cyber threats and equipped with the knowledge to protect themselves in the digital space.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
While we are on the topic of cybersecurity, I encourage everyone to familiarise themselves, their workmates and their families with basic cyber hygiene practices. By mastering these fundamentals, we can prevent the majority of cyber threats, both for ourselves and for our organisations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
This Fiji Tech Summit has always represented a vital opportunity for collaboration, knowledge sharing, solutions development, and strengthening our collective digital defences. I encourage all of you attending this year to make the most of this opportunity.
 
As I conclude, I would like to say that we are standing at the doorway of a new era—one where data, connectivity, and creativity will define national success.
 
And let us not be mere spectators of this digital revolution. Let us be its architects. And in this digital revolution, we need partnerships. Partnerships between the public and private sectors, academia, civil society, and international partners. Fiji’s digital future will not be defined by our size, but by our speed, our skill, and our spirit.
 
Today, I call on all of you—innovators, investors, and digital champions—to work together in unlocking Fiji’s digital future. Let us build a nation where technology serves our people, strengthens our economy, and protects our environment.
 
Together, let us unlock the future, a future that is intelligent, secure, and sustainable. A future where Fiji leads in digital transformation. Let us unlock the future—together.
 
Vinaka Vakalevu.