The terrain and relative isolation of Nakoro Village in the Navosa highlands made it prohibitively expensive to extend the national electrical grid to it.
But government was determined to meet its objective of ensuring that all Fijians had access to reliable electrical power by 2021, says Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama at the commissioning of the village hybrid solar power system. “By generating power from the sun, the people of this village will have light and power when they need it — so your children can study in the evening, so the women of Nakoro can run sewing machines and weave mats, and so all of you can watch television, freeze and refrigerate food, use computers and run labour-saving appliances and machinery,” Mr Bainimarama said.
“Having power available at all times will give you more control over time than you have ever had before.
“And time is a very precious commodity indeed. When you have more of it, you can do more. You can make more.”
Mr Bainimarama said rural communities presented a special challenge, especially where electrical power was concerned.
He said the more than $1 million project was possible through the assistance of the European Union. The newly-commissioned system is already supplying power to 200 people — 41 households, the village church and a new health centre in the village located in the heart of the Navosa highlands.
Source:fijitimes.com
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
