Economy Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says youths need to understand how the economy works.
Speaking during the International Youth Day celebrations in Suva yesterday, he said they had to ensure that young people were confident in the system.
He said every generation had either a set of opportunities, or a set of problems.
“Today in Fiji, like I mentioned, 70 per cent of the entire population is below the age of 40,” he said.
“65 per cent is below 65 so as a Government we have to ensure the vast majority of the people in this country have access to education, have access to those services, and have access to jobs.
“How do we create jobs, how do we create access to medical services, we have to be able to provide the right environment.
“We have to ensure that the young people feel confident in the system.
“The young people need to also very quickly understand the economy.
“We cannot talk about issues, we cannot talk about jobs, we cannot talk about opportunities, inclusiveness, empowering women, empowering youth, if we do not understand how the economy works, if we do not understand what we as individuals Fijians can do to be able to ensure that our economy flourishes.”
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said without stability and consistency in policies, many opportunities were foregone.
“How does the world function, why are the prices going up, there’s so much information available, and you need to be able to educate yourself.”
