The VFIPA's Investment Promotion Team carried out an investor visitation program in late 2019 on key manufacturing businesses in Port Vila to collect investor stories and important information on the doing business environment in Vanuatu.

The manufacturing businesses were chosen because of particular interest in the sector itself as it involved productions at a larger scale and certain costs that were involved in the operations of these businesses.

The following businesses were part of the investor visitation program that was carried out:

• Vanuatu Brewery Limited
• Vanuatu Beverage Limited
• Chiko Farm
• Fine Foods Limited
• Vanuatu Nature Company
• Fiberglass Vanuatu/Pacific Polytank

The challenges that the majority of the businesses provided to the team was that Government support to the private sector was most common.

Support through consistent policies, policies that encouraged private sector growth and support investment growth in Vanuatu.

The common concern was towards the inconsistency in Government policies driven by various Ministries, the proper analysis of the specific productive industries that need Government protection and assistance to boost their productivity and financial support that can be provided through various funding pools towards the private sector development.

Another important issue raised by the majority of the businesses interviewed was the issue of skills availability and the major impact that Vanuatu’s Labour Mobility Schemes is having through its RSE and SWP programs.

Being key businesses under the Manufacturing Industries of the country, technical expertise is often sought with the management and oversight of the machinery and operations.

Vanuatu is often referred to as the Land of Opportunities and this statement rings true. The companies that were interviewed stated the potential that can still be unlocked through the different business ventures that already exist and those that can be introduced.

Being an imports based country, the potential for import substituting is high. Vanuatu’s primary and manufacturing sector can provide this substitution with the right support and doing business environment.

VFIPA understands that the Government recently launched a Made in Vanuatu brand campaign for the labeling of Vanuatu made products. This launch signifies an important growth for the industries and an important achievement for the Government as well, however to further support this it is equally important that domestic consumers support in purchasing Vanuatu Made Products is done.

This is a key concern from all manufacturing businesses that were visited in terms of Vanuatu being committed to see its productive sector grow.

The investor visitation will be a regular activity for the VFIPA and reports and findings from these visitation will be summarized in key position papers that should assist in pushing for change through VFIPA's Board of Directors.