First-ever National Industrial Policy roadmap for Vanuatu

08 December 2011

[08 December, Vila] – The Government of Vanuatu launched its first ever National Industrial Policy roadmap to strengthen its trade and industrial capacities.

In launching the National Industrial Policy, Vanuatu’s Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Trade, Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Hon Ham Lini Vanuaroroa, highlighted that the main objective of the Policy was to ensure there is a coherent roadmap for government and its development partners to provide support to the sector in the short to medium term and to create an enabling environment to support the growth of the sector at large.

The four objectives of the Industrial Policy document are to: (i) Improve economic diversification and domestic value added through enhancing the productivity, competitiveness and the capacity of manufacturing sector to move up the value chain; (ii) Enhance linkages and spillovers among economic sectors; (iii) Create an enabling environment for the private sector as the main engine for economic growth and enhance its productivity, capacity utilization and trade capacity; (iv) Contribute to the improvement of the merchandise trade balance and balance of payments through enhancing Vanuatu’s exports, based on the country’s comparative advantage.

With the main focus being on the manufacturing industries, the policy process involved a wide consultation with all relevant stakeholders in both the public and private sectors, including NGO’s. This involved workshops in Port Vila, Santo, Tanna and Malekula.

“As part of Government’s commitment to WTO membership, the national industrial policy is both crucial and timely as it will address and link all trade and industrial issues to funding window opportunities under the WTO trade related technical assistance support. The policy has highlighted key issues and challenges such as the cost of doing business in terms of infrastructure, transport and communication,” said the Hon Vanuaroroa.

Ahmed Moustafa, the UNDP Pacific Regional Macro Economic and Poverty Reduction Advisor and Project Manager based in the Pacific Centre in Fiji said “the first industrial policy for Vanuatu recognizes the country’s inherent constraints as a small island developing nation and aims to maximize the returns for Vanuatu from its natural, human and capital resources and also improve the distribution of such returns so that they benefit all Ni-Vanuatu”

The National Industrial Policy draws on Vanuatu’s Priority Action Agenda, Government’s blue print policy document which addresses the national long-term vision for “an educated, healthy and wealthy Vanuatu” and emphasizes the importance of the economic sectors and the role played by the private sector in Vanuatu. The industrial sector is a key component of the country’s economy, providing employment and adding value to the country’s natural resources.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Centre provided financial and technical assistance to formulate in collaboration with the Department of Industry and Commerce, Vanuatu’s national industrial policy.

Source: http://www.undppc.org.fj/

ENDS

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