The Vanuatu Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (VFIPA) has completed an Investment Profiling Mission in Santo, engaging with businesses, stakeholders, and key private-sector partners to strengthen its understanding of Santo’s current investment environment, ongoing developments, and emerging investment opportunities.

As part of the mission, several investment opportunities and sites were identified and profiled in alignment with key priority sectors under the IPS 2026–2030. The profiling exercise is intended to develop a pipeline of credible and investment-ready opportunities that VFIPA can promote strategically to potential domestic and international investors.

The selected profiles will support VFIPA’s targeted investment promotion activities by showcasing specific opportunities, available assets, locations, and sector potential, while providing prospective investors with practical information to support their initial assessment and further engagement. Through this approach, VFIPA aims to strengthen its investment pipeline and proactively connect identified opportunities with investors seeking to invest in Vanuatu’s priority sectors.

The initiative was led by VFIPA Manager – Investment Promotion and Facilitation, Mr. Alick Robsen Joe, with assistance from Senior Investment Promotion Officer, Mr. Lee Tabi, who is based at the VFIPA Northern Office in Santo.

The mission was fully supported by VFIPA Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Raymond Vuti, as part of the Agency’s proactive approach to strengthening investment promotion, improving investor engagement, and ensuring that provincial investment opportunities receive greater attention.

During the mission, VFIPA engaged with several businesses, stakeholders and private-sector representatives to gain a better understanding of current business activities, developments, investment opportunities and areas where further investment could contribute to Santo’s economic growth.

Support was also received from real estate companies operating in Santo, which assisted VFIPA in connecting with businesses and stakeholders and provided valuable local knowledge on property developments, commercial activities, and the broader investment environment.

The engagements provided VFIPA with a deeper understanding of Santo’s growing role as an important economic hub for Vanuatu, including current developments and the potential for further investment across tourism, commercial activities, property development, services, and other areas of the local economy.

The investment profiling exercise has provided useful information that will contribute to VFIPA’s efforts to develop and promote investment-ready opportunities in Santo. The information gathered will also assist the Agency in strengthening its investment pipeline and connecting potential opportunities with local and international investors.

Expanding VFIPA’s Presence in Northern Vanuatu

A further milestone during the Santo mission was VFIPA’s first-ever awareness programme through VBTC – Vois Blong NOT.

The programme provided an important platform for VFIPA to increase awareness of its mandate, services and investment facilitation support among businesses and communities in Northern Vanuatu.

The initiative is part of VFIPA’s broader efforts to strengthen its visibility and engagement beyond Port Vila, ensuring that businesses, communities and potential investors in the provinces have greater access to information about investment opportunities and the support available through VFIPA.

The first awareness programme also establishes a foundation for continued collaboration between VFIPA and VBTC – Vois Blong NOT, with further awareness activities expected to be undertaken as part of VFIPA’s ongoing outreach programme.

VFIPA acknowledges and appreciates the support provided by VBTC and Vois Blong NOT in making the first awareness programme possible and in helping bring investment-related information closer to businesses and communities in the northern part of Vanuatu.

Strengthening Provincial Investment Promotion

The Santo mission reflects VFIPA’s increasing focus on provincial investment promotion and investment profiling under the Foreign Investment Promotion Strategy 2026–2030.

VFIPA’s Q2 2026 FDI Quarterly Update recorded 80 approved FDI registrations nationally, with Sanma Province accounting for 9 registrations, or 11.3% of the total. The quarterly report identifies Sanma as an important source of regional diversification outside the capital.

The profiling mission provides an opportunity to build on this investment activity by developing a clearer understanding of the opportunities available in Santo and strengthening relationships with the local private sector.

It also supports VFIPA’s wider objective of identifying opportunities that can contribute to economic diversification, business expansion, employment creation and increased private-sector participation in provincial economies.

The mission further demonstrated the importance of having a strong VFIPA presence in Santo, supported by the Agency’s Northern Office and its Investment Promotion and Facilitation team. The involvement of Mr. Lee Tabi in the mission provided continuity for VFIPA’s engagement with businesses and stakeholders already operating in Santo.

A Continued Approach to Investment Promotion

The Santo Investment Profiling Mission is part of VFIPA’s continued effort to move towards a more proactive, targeted and opportunity-driven approach to investment promotion.

Rather than relying solely on investor enquiries, VFIPA is strengthening its efforts to actively identify potential investment opportunities, engage businesses and stakeholders, understand local market conditions and develop information that can be used to promote investment opportunities to potential investors.

The information gathered from Santo will contribute to future investment profiles, promotional materials, investor engagement and facilitation activities.

VFIPA’s engagement in Santo will continue through further stakeholder consultations, investment profiling, awareness activities and promotion of identified opportunities.

The Agency will also continue working closely with businesses, real estate companies, Santo Provincial Headquarter, government agencies, VBTC, investors and other partners to strengthen Santo’s investment ecosystem.

The Q2 2026 FDI results show that service industries continue to account for the majority of approved foreign investment activity nationally, while tourism, professional services and construction recorded notable activity during the quarter.

For Santo, these trends provide an opportunity to further explore investment potential linked to tourism, accommodation and hospitality, commercial development, professional services, property development and other emerging areas.

The Santo Investment Profiling Mission therefore represents an important step in VFIPA’s ongoing implementation of the Foreign Investment Promotion Strategy 2026–2030, while reinforcing the Agency’s commitment to bringing investment promotion closer to the provinces and supporting Santo’s continued development as a key economic hub of Vanuatu.