Speech
by
Philip Erquiaga
Director General, Pacific Department
Asian Development Bank
At the Official Opening of the New Queens Wharf Extension, Lautoka Wharf
Lautoka, Fiji Islands
4 June 2004
Honorable Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase
Honorable Ministers,
Honorable Members of the Parliament and the Senate,
Distinguished Guests, and
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am very pleased and honored to stand before you on this auspicious day. It is my first visit to Fiji Islands and my first visit to Lautoka. I am proud to represent ADB in this partnership of the Government, the Maritime and the Ports Authority, and the ANZ that collectively financed and made reality of the Queens Wharf extension.
In March 2002, at the time when ADB’s loan for the Ports Development Project was approved by our Board of Directors, Lautoka port had come under capacity pressure to facilitate containerised cargo, particularly with the growing export of Fiji Water. I am very happy to congratulate the Government of the Fiji Islands, and particularly its Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, and the Maritime and Ports Authority of Fiji on the completion of the needed civil works to expand the capacity of the Queens Wharf, and now on the opening of the extension to cargo handling.
The Government of Fiji is committed to reducing poverty by improving access to cash incomes and good social services. Poverty reduction is also the overarching objective of the Asian Development Bank. As we know, reducing poverty requires sustained and rapid growth. Generating sustainable and socially inclusive growth – in turn – requires the establishment of basic building blocks, particularly physical infrastructure, conducive institutional and legal frameworks; economic management in favor of the private sector; functioning financial sectors and corporate governance; as well as support to key growth areas.
Honorable Prime Minister Qarase, it is indeed my pleasure to be invited to celebrate with you the accomplishment of these important objectives as you open the Queens wharf extension to cargo traffic. At ADB, we have admired the determination and professionalism of the team at the MPAF in implementing the wharf extension not only in time, but in advance of the schedule. This may indeed be one of the most successful projects in ADB’s history in Fiji and the Pacific.
Many of you know that ADB has been Fiji’s development partner since 1970, and since that time has been involved in many development projects related to transport infrastructure, agriculture, power, water supply, and the financial sector. ADB has also had an association with the ports sector in the country since 1979 with the upgrade of the Suva port for containerized cargo operations. We want to continue with good cooperation and are committed to the development of Fiji. This year, our Suva-based office is preparing for the first time a full Fiji Country Strategy and Program that will strengthen our strategic partnership and deepen and broaden our development impacts.
The Queens wharf extension will certainly pave the way for improved competitiveness, trade expansion, and reductions in the logistical cost of doing business. It will enhance the terms of trade and provide more opportunities for the private sector to invest in the Fiji Islands. We can expect cargo loads to increase dramatically in support of the Fiji Water exports. We can envision higher imports to the hospitality sector, including visits by international vessels and cruise ships. And we can be confident that this project will enhance environmental protection by reducing container traffic between Lautoka and Suva, and thus improve the traffic conditions on the Nadi-Suva corridor.
All of us know that our work to reduce poverty through sustainable growth, inclusive social development and improved governance, is not complete with this wonderful piece of infrastructure in place. Our task now is to ensure that port operations are effective and efficient in servicing the docking vessels. We also need to ensure that the regulatory and tariff scales are appropriate to attract traffic to the port and away from the road, and that operations are competitive. This will ensure the contribution of this particular infrastructure to attracting private sector investment – the only sustainable source of employment growth. I personally and my colleagues at the SPSO office in Suva as well as in Manila look forward to working with all of you on resolving these issues to a greater benefit of all.
Last of all, I would like to reaffirm our long-term commitment to improving the lives of the people in the Fiji Islands and the entire region. The South Pacific Subregional Office celebrates its first anniversary in a few days. At the annual meeting of ADB last month, I learned from the Pacific delegations that SPSO has already developed ADB’s capacity to respond quickly and effectively to the needs of the people and deliver meaningful development results in Fiji and in the South Pacific. We continue to strengthen our capacity to work with you.
Thank you.
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