Tongoa

The new office which is housed under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and biosecurity, was launched last week.

The office was previously relocated to Santo at the end of last year. 

The ministry said the relocations of the government directors and directorates from Port Vila to outer islands are in line with the government's decentralization mechanism. 

MALFB said this will allow government departments to engage more with the communities.

The upgrades were carried out by a small contingent of Australian Army signallers and Vanuatu Police Force members as part of the Vanuatu Government National Emergency Radio Network project, who installed and trained Tongoa police officers on both High Frequency (HF) radios and Very High Frequency portable radios.

Vanuatu Police Force (VPF) Senior Sergeant Willie Daniel outlined what the upgrades meant for his small team of police officers living and working on Tongoa.

He told the chiefs and people to resolve disputes and allow development activities such as airport and road improvement.

“If we want our island to move forward in terms of development, we must stay united. The chiefs must bring our people together and let harmony thrive in our communities.”

“It’s high time we decide between having disputes or development.”

Mr Kalo said the current government is committed to putting people first.