Everyone is interested in investing in Fiji.
Truman Bradley is the owner of seven businesses in the Pacific island country.
Its location is an appealing factor, according to him. He says that they have access to North America, Asia, and Australia.
The last six years have been hard for the country.
Dozens of people were killed and tens of thousands were forced from their homes in the worst storm to hit the southern hemisphere in the year.
Climate change is making the Pacific vulnerable to extreme weather events.
Covid-19 arrived. One of the pillars of the economy is the tourist industry, which was all but shut down when borders were closed.
The US and China are competing for influence in the region with both countries offering loans, aid and security. Australia and New Zealand have become more involved in the region.
In order to protect its economy, many people agree that now is the time for the country to move away from traditional industries.
The answer is to invest in sectors such as technology and business services. He said there is a lot of interest.
In an old wooden house overlooking the city, he is speaking to the British Broadcasting Corporation. He sells furniture, develops phone apps, and develops phone apps.
NaDraki is a subscription-based weather app that gives forecasts and climate information to businesses and the public.
The chat service on the app allows subscribers to speak with a weather forecaster.
Mr Bradley's newest venture is an upcoming travel app called Bula Fiji. Travelers will be able to book flights, accommodations and activities in one place.
Mr Bradley hopes that building a larger tech sector in the country will allow more university graduates to stay and work in the country.
The University of the South Pacific is the leader in the region.
Students from all over the Pacific Islands go to study there. After completing their degrees, many leave for more developed economies like Australia and New Zealand in order to find better jobs.
"We have a university here that's creating graduates, and they're not really finding where they fit in the country," says Mr Bradley.
Then they all leave." Wouldn't it be great if we could work with those graduates and allow them to build applications and opportunities?
"Fiji is benefiting from all the attention coming into the region at the moment," says the head of the group.
He says that it is the center of many of the Pacific Islands. It has a well educated young workforce. Excellent internet connection is also present.
New Tech Economy explores how technological innovation will shape the new economy.
The internet is beneficial to the country. The majority of the internet cables in the region are located in the country of Fiji.
Outsourced call centres have taken off in the country.
Credit card processing, lending operations, payments and account functions are all done at these call centers. These call centers are being used by other businesses.
Local workers with good English skills will help the industry grow. The evolution of a wider technology sector can be traced back to the call centre.
Sanjesh Kumar thinks that is the case. There are customers in Australia, New Zealand and Canada at the firm.
He believes that the time is right for local companies to be at the forefront and realize what applied technology can do.
He says that the modelling of climate change is an example of something that could be done in the country.
He says that they're at the forefront of all of those issues. We are able to share information a lot quicker today.
There is potential in the traditional industries of the country. While the country has historically relied on sugar cane, which is its fourth- largest export by value, he says that ginger and turmeric have room to expand.
Kava, a local social drink made from the root or stump of the kava shrub, could be marketed more widely.
Fish is the third largest natural resource exported from the country. The minister wants to see more investment in the country.
The Pacific Islands should be able to process their own resources. The people will get the maximum benefit from that. In employment opportunities as well.
Allowing other countries to come and fish and taking away and processing in their own countries is just one of the benefits.
It seems that the ingredients for a promising future can be found in the country. Ensuring that the country can protect itself from the effects of climate change and giving its young educated workforce a reason to stay are two things that will need to be done.
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