A new municipal market is underway for Rakiraki, and will include an open Craft Centre and living quarters for rural, women vendors who stay overnight.
Officiating at the event, Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama said the first phase alone represented an investment of some $5.84 million.
“Government is contributing $2.64 million, and our partners, the Australian Government and UN Women, are contributing the balance,” he confirmed.
Bainimarama said it was also an investment for the future of Rakiraki, a township whose CDB is often flooded.
“We know that municipal markets in Fiji play a pivotal role in shaping our town economies, and we fully expect that the increase in economic activity in Rakiraki will encourage an increase in private investment.”
He also highlighted the need to build to higher standards, particularly as widespread rebuilding efforts continue in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Winton, a Category-5 that hit in February 2016.
“We will not just rebuild, we will build with the knowledge that the standards we used in the past will not serve us in the future. Everything we build has to withstand more severe weather conditions than we had once assumed we would face.
“They have to withstand stronger winds and heavier rain and even flooding in many places. This goes for our public and commercial buildings, our schools, our roads and our homes.”
The market project is the largest infrastructural investment by UN Women in Fiji, and expected to be completed over a 12-month period.
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