Leadership Fiji is an independent, non-partisan, non-aligned entity that began in 2000. Following the political upheaval of that year a number of corporate and community leaders met and identified a desperate need to build broadminded and educated leaders across the nation. They were introduced to the concept of Leadership Victoria by Andrew Fairley, who had various business interests in Fiji at the time. This proved a very successful model to follow and with the assistance of Leadership Victoria the first Leadership Fiji program was launched in 2001.

The development of leaders is fundamental to a Nation’s well being and to the creation of a society that is economically, socially and politically successful. Leaders usually come from specific sectors with significant knowledge in that area, but a limited appreciation of the whole social framework. For them to be truly successful, they need to have an inclusive approach, with an understanding of Fiji as a nation and how it works.

The Leadership Fiji initiative is aimed specifically at assisting our emerging leaders to cope with demands of the ever-changing world so that Fiji reaches its full potential in the widest sense. The aim of Leadership Fiji is to expose participants to leaders from across our society, in a structured manner, providing them with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of their country, its history, economic and social structure. The result we hope will be the development of a new generation of leaders equipped to take Fiji forward into the 21st century as a united dynamic nation. The program allows members to explore their own values, philosophies, prejudices and beliefs through a variety of issues offered by the program; provides close interaction with Fiji Island leaders in fields such as the private sector, non-governmental organizations, government ministries, youth and faith based organizations.

Leadership Fiji is a program of day sessions and retreats in the year from March – November. These sessions are designed to enable participants to discuss and debate issues among themselves and with invited speakers.

The content focus of sessions and site visits are issues based and are relevant to the current environment. These include: Exploring Leadership, Historical Overview of Fiji, Examining Major Industries such as Media, Tourism & Sugar, Human Rights, Law & Order, Social and Economic issues such as the Environment, Poverty & Social Welfare, Health & Education. As a conclusion to the year’s activities LF participants are required to draft and present a manifesto detailing their vision for Fiji and strategies aimed at achieving that vision.