Ni-Vanuatu urged to utilise marine resource potential
October 1, 2026 11:05 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook
By Ezra Toara.
Vanuatu has yet to fully utilise the economic potential of its vast marine resources, with the Department of Industry (DOI) encouraging businesses and communities to explore new opportunities to turn resources from the sea into locally made products.
Speaking at the closing of the two-day Vanuatu Made event this week, Director of the DOI under the Ministry of Trade and Commerce (MOTC), Noel Kalo, thanked participants, businesses, partners and members of the public who took part.
Kalo said Vanuatu Made had provided a platform for businesses and communities to connect, share information, learn from each other and promote locally produced goods and services.
He said the DOI was using Vanuatu Made not only as a trade and business platform, but also as an opportunity to engage with communities and educate people about opportunities available in different industries across the country.
Kalo encouraged people considering starting businesses to look at the resources and opportunities available in Vanuatu.
“Over the last two days, as we walked around the booths, we saw many different businesses and products,” he said. He said the event demonstrated that businesses were being established in communities across Vanuatu, including in places where people might not normally expect to find commercial activities.
Kalo said the diversity of exhibitors showed the reach of the Vanuatu Made initiative, with participants coming from different islands and communities.
“We saw people from the Shepherd Islands, Motalava, the southern and western parts of Santo, and from many of the small islands of Vanuatu,” he said.
He said the involvement of businesses from different parts of the country demonstrated the role of Vanuatu Made in bringing local producers and entrepreneurs together on one national platform.
Kalo thanked all participants for responding to the Government’s programmes and becoming involved in initiatives under the MOTC.
He said the Government had established policies and committed resources to support economic development, but the success of those programmes also depended on people in communities taking the opportunity to participate.
“There are people at the end of the line who have raised their hands and said, ‘Yes, we want to be part of the Government programme’ – in trade and commerce, investment and other areas,” Kalo said.
Kalo said the DOI was pleased to see Ni-Vanuatu entrepreneurs transforming resources available in their communities into products.
He said this included resources from both the land and the sea.
Vanuatu has a large maritime area, with the majority of its territory made up of ocean, yet the country has not fully utilised the economic potential of its marine resources.
“We talk about tuna and other resources, but we have not fully utilised the potential of the sea,” he said.
Kalo said Vanuatu Made could help create opportunities for local people and businesses to develop more products from the resources available to them.
Through greater engagement with local businesses and communities, he said, the Government hoped to build on these opportunities and create greater economic benefits for the country.
He said the DOI, together with the MOTC, executives, partners and others involved in organising the event, was pleased with the outcome of this year’s Vanuatu Made programme.
Kalo said the event demonstrated that local entrepreneurs could showcase what they produce and contribute to the country’s economic development.
He encouraged communities and businesses to continue participating in future Vanuatu Made events and to explore new ways of turning Vanuatu’s natural resources into locally made products.
