The Vanuatu Infrastructure Strategic Investment Plan (VISIP) 2015 was officially launched by Prime Minister, Sato Kilman, Wednesday evening in a brief ceremony on the grounds of the Office of the Prime Minister in Port Vila.
Some of the programming priority investment projects under VISIP 2015 include the Vanuatu Urban Development Project (Phase 2 for Luganville and Port Vila), Malekula East Coast Road Rehabilitation, domestic jetties construction in every province, and reconstruction of Malapoa College.
In his speech Prime Minister Kilman called the plan a living document that will assist the country’s vision of a Just, Educated, Healthy and Wealthy Vanuatu.
Speaking before launching the Plan, he said the Government has endorsed and adopted the VISIP 2015 as its primary reference when considering infrastructure priorities, both for its own investments and those funded by development partners.
“The plan also presents an important approach to maintenance budgeting and considers the development of asset management policy and strategic plans,” he added.
The Prime Minister promised that in the coming months, the Department of Strategic Policy Planning and Aid Coordination (DSPPAC) will develop a capacity building strategy to help the Government reinforce the institutional arrangements to ensure effective implementation of the VISIP pipeline of infrastructure investment priorities.
“As we move forward, we will also ensure effective monitoring, reporting and up-date of the VISIP portfolio.”
The Prime Minister also expressed the appreciation of the Government of Vanuatu for the technical assistance provided by the Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility (PRIF), whose members are Asian Development Bank, Australian Aid, European Union, European Investment Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, New Zealand Aid, and the World Bank. He also acknowledged the ongoing support of all the development partners and stakeholders “who share the common objective of developing adequate, sustainable, properly maintained infrastructure, that will underpin the country’s social and economic development objectives in the coming decades.”
He appealed to all concerned – Government line-ministries and agencies, development partners, private sector – to work closely together to strengthen their relationships for an effective implementation of the Plan.
“We all need each other to achieve our common interests and visions, and let’s put our hands together towards a better Vanuatu,” PM Kilman concluded.
The launching ceremony was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister, Moana Carcasses, and other government ministers, members of the Diplomatic Corps, senior government officials, and the Asian Development Bank Regional Director, Dr. Andrea Iffland. In her address Dr. Iffland stressed again and again the issue of maintenance of infrastructure projects. She pointed out that the value of the projects covered in the Plan is Vt38 billion and the annual maintenance budget for these projects is Vt1.8 billion.
On April 16, 2015, the Council of Ministers approved the VISIP, which outlines Vanuatu’s priorities and plans for major infrastructure for the coming decade – up to 2024. The plan sets out a list of priority projects and recommends processes and institutional responsibilities within the Government that will allow implementation, monitoring and evaluation of these strategic investments. The VISIP 2015 considers both economic and social infrastructure.