Dr Mahendra Reddy
By ROSI DOVIVERATA
Overseas presenters boost Fiji National University’s Pacific Conference on Finance and Investment beginning today at the Nasinu campus. The conference highlights new knowledge on issues affecting small island economies and aims to draw new economic ideas from industry experts, academics and business leaders.
High finance experts, heads of institutions and academics from around the region and abroad will discuss reconciling governance systems and deepening the financial sector in market economies.
The three-day conference is by the College of Commerce, Business and Hospitality and Tourism Studies.
Attorney-General and Minister for Tourism Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum will be opening the event.
Highlights on some presenters
n Fiji-born, Raj Prasad will be presenting the first plenary paper.
Mr Prasad is a Fellow, Certified Practioners Accountant (CPA) Australia and principal partner of Premium Financial Retirement Solutions based in Australia.
He believes his key strength is to apply what he has learned from large corporations to small and emerging enterprises.
Mr Prasad has a desire to work with individuals and small businesses to help them succeed.
His paper is titled Recent Developments in Mining and Explorations: Some Lessons for Fiji.
n Professor Christine Jubb of Swinburne University, Australia will highlight auditing standards from a global perspective – What’s happening with Enforcing Auditing Standards Globally?
n Presenting the third plenary paper on day one is Investment Fiji chief executive officer, Ravuni Uluilakeba.
The presentation places emphasis on the investment climate of Fiji and promotes Fiji as an investment destination.
The attendants will get inside information on the contribution investments make towards Fiji’s economies.
His paper is titled: Investment Trends in Fiji, Opportunities for micro and macro level Growth.
Information sharing
“For any citizen it is important to know the economic status of a country and I think conferences as such provide this information sharing platform that enables understanding of what is happening around you in terms of growth.”
“I think such events create a lot of understanding on what different organisations and businesses are working towards.”
The organising college’s dean and chairman of the Fiji Commerce Commission Dr Mahendra Reddy, welcomed discussions on the methodology that the Commission uses.
“If you want to know how we do pharmaceutical pricing, weighted average capital cost pricing for cement price and steel, how we do average food pricing, how we handle complaints, fair trading practices and land rent rental issues, come and listen,” he said.