5-Year and 20-Year National Development Plan to subsidise uneconomical sea routes to ensure that shipping services are provided on a regular basis to these regions. This will support transportation, commerce and income-generating opportunities in the maritime region. DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY Digital connectivity through high-speed internet networks and broadband access will be improved, and all areas of Fiji will be digitally connected. Competition will be enhanced in broadband internet services by making communication infrastructure available to multiple users under reasonable terms and conditions. Fibre optic connectivity between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu will be established, and the fibre optic ring around Viti Levu will be completed. All utility providers will cooperate in laying fibre optic cable conduits and chambers when undertaking trenching works during road construction or maintenance. Government will expand existing telecentres and establish new ones around the country. Digital literacy will be improved. Such improved connectivity will provide employment opportunities for all Fijians living in rural and remote communities, and more employment in IT support services will be realised. These developments will create a more conducive environment for commerce and development, including attracting new sources of investment and growth. yy Skill Development and Demographic Dividend Fiji has a great opportunity to exploit its demographic dividend. With 62 percent of the population below the age of 34, we are a young nation. The continued investment in education and skill development with an increasing working age population will not only provide a valuable pool of human resources for Fiji’s future development needs but also help turn job seekers into job creators. Government will work closely with industry, tertiary education institutions and development partners to prepare a workforce of highly skilled Fijians in line with future industry demand, in particular for the new growth sectors. Skills development in areas such as trades and craftsmanship, engineering and IT-related professions, health care services, hospitality and aged care, foreign languages, resource-based sector expertise, and education and other services will be supported. The intelligence and capability of women will be further realised, and they will be encouraged to choose from a variety of occupations, many of which were previously the domain of men. Initiatives will be introduced to promote the employment of Fijians with these new skills by both small and largescale businesses. Support will be provided for youth entrepreneurship. The development of professionalism in sports provides another opportunity for employment generation and to position Fiji as a source of world-class athletes. Government will continue to invest in the potential of our youth to develop into world-class athletes and sports administrators. Sports complexes, rural sporting grounds and school sporting facilities will be improved and new ones constructed to international standards. Talent will be identified and developed from an early age with world-class training and coaching through the National Academy of Sports. Assistance will continue to be provided to enable international coaches to be hired and thereby improve our competitiveness. Corporate sponsorship in sports will also be incentivised to encourage better partnerships in sports development. yy Embracing Appropriate and New Technology for Productivity Improvement Appropriate new technology will be adopted to raise overall efficiency and productivity and to improve service delivery across all sectors. Adoption of new technology will be supported in areas like transportation, renewable energy, manufacturing, agriculture, ICT, education and other service-related sectors. Innovation, research and implementation of new ideas will also be incentivised. A facilitative environment will be created to assist the importation of new and modern technology. Government will explore options to provide the necessary infrastructure to embrace new technology. This will include installing chargers for electric vehicles across the country, supporting vehicle upgrades to accommodate better fuel standards and promoting technology transfer. In the manufacturing sector, greater value-addition and investment in energy-efficient machinery and equipment will be incentivised. Government will support the increased use of cloud computing, 3D printing, inter-networking of smart devices and other emerging technologies to improve efficiency and productivity. For agriculture, government will further explore mechanised land preparation and harvesting, modern seed-breeding methods, and hydroponic and greenhouse farming techniques to address the issues of poor soil fertility, declining farm productivity and intermittent local supply. Service industries involved in the transportation of goods and passengers could benefit from greater government 8