The China First Railway Company will carry out the works on a housing project here through a soft loan worth of 26.1 million U.S. dollars from the Chinese government.

The Fiji Government aims to ensure that all citizens have access to affordable and quality housing and this would be made available through this loan, said Fiji's Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama on Monday.

Officiating the groundbreaking ceremony of the housing project at Tacirua East on Monday, Bainimarama said the Housing Authority development made available through China will cater for 1300 Fijian families.

Bainimarama said his government aims to improve the housing and living standards of all the citizens of Fiji as more families flocked to the capital Suva in search of job opportunities but ended up in squatter settlements as they could not afford proper housing.