Institution Contact Details
|
| Name of Institution |
National Centre for Small & Micro Enterprise Development
|
| Postal Address |
PO Box 2532, Government Buildings, Suva, Fiji
|
| Country |
Fiji
|
| Telephone |
(679) 3307122 / 3301587
|
| Fax |
(679) 3302711
|
| Email |
lkinivuwai@govnet.gov.fj
|
|
Website Address
|
http://www.ncsmed.org.fj
|
|
Skype
|
N/A
|
|
Contact Person
|
Ms Luse Kinivuwai
|
|
Position
|
Director Microfinance Unit
|
General Institutional Information
|
|
Current Legal Status of the Institution
|
Our institution is a statutory body and is regulated by the Small and Micro Enterprises Development Act 2002
|
|
Objectives
|
SME Development including access to Finance for
Poverty alleviation and employment generation
|
|
Brief History
|
-
National Microfinance Unit was set up in 1999 to manage a Pilot Project to develop Microfinance services in Fiji
-
Pilot Project ended in December 2003 and the National Microfinance Unit merged with the National Centre for Small and Micro Enterprises Development in 2004
-
It is now a Unit under the Centre and it acts as an apex body for microfinance institutions in Fiji.
|
|
Ownership
|
Government funded statutory body
|
|
Operations related to
microfinance
and financial inclusion
|
- The Unit provides funding, technical support and monitoring services to microfinance institutions in Fiji.
- There are three Urban Microfinance Institutions and 5 Rural based institutions providing microfinance services.
- Services are provided in 12 of the 14 Provinces in Fiji.
|
|
Main Funding Sources
|
The Government of Fiji
|
|
Main Challenges
|
- High transaction costs. In Fiji it is a challenge due to the scattered populations and remote locations of the different communities in particular the rural population.
- Low population density and remoteness. Fiji has a low population count and low population density. The expense of outreach effectively to the target group is a costly exercise
- Countering the Grant culture and programmes. Many rural and peri urban communities have been exposed to a variety of grant schemes. Countering this grant culture takes resources to counter.
- Lack of Business Support Structures.
- Access to affordable microfinance training
|
|
Other Networks
|
None
|