Vanuatu

The contract for Santo's Pekoa and Tanna's Whitegrass involves upgrades that are being funded by the World Bank.

The two companies, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and its joint venture partner, Northwest Civil Construction Group, two weeks ago also signed a contract for the much bigger rebuild and restoration of Port Vila's Bauerfield Airport.

The MOU aims to enhance the friendly relationship through mutual cooperation between the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to Vanuatu and USP’s Emalus Campus, in the provision and management of a scholarship funding called the Chinese Ambassador’s Scholarship Fund.

This, following a fruitful meeting between Professor Govinda Lingam, the Head of the SOED with the senior staff of the Ministry.

Professor Lingam acknowledged the presence of senior staff from the Ministry stating that the purpose of the visit was to get first-hand information from the Ministry about their concerns in education and how the SOED can assist in addressing these thereby improving the quality of education delivered in schools. 

Other partners included the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Vanuatu Tourism Office and other business houses.

The Pacific ICT Days 2017 was hosted with theme “Big Data, Big Impact”.

Staff from the Student Administration Services (SAS) were present at the venue of the Pacific ICT Days promoting USP programmes to potential students.

The IT Department staff demonstrated how ICT technologies assist students in their studies at USP and there was also General Knowledge, PaclII and Moodle quiz in which the public participated to win prizes. 

The dialogue which is being held at the Warwick Le Lagon Hotel on Wednesday (May 31st) will include participants from both the private sector and civil society organisations.
 
In April 2017, 14 Forum member countries - Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu - concluded negotiations on the PACER Plus legal text and market access.
 
The signing ceremony of the PACER Plus is due to take place on 14 June 2017 in Tonga.

The company’s website says Tanna Farms will be fully certified from July 4, 2017.

Strategically, Tanna Farms nominated BioGro to gain their organic certification for their Coconut Oil and products because New Zealand is the company’s’ biggest export market and it reinforces the ‘kiwi’ connection.

The BioGro certification label is widely recognised around the world and is also New Zealand’s largest and best-known certifier. Producers carry the BioGro logo on their products to assure their customers that the produce they buy is genuine organic.

According to China’s Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang, China is willing to work with Vanuatu to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and leaders of Vanuatu in 2014 to push bilateral relations to a new stage of rapid development.

Zheng paid a working visit to Vanuatu last week where he met with President Baldwin Lonsdale and Acting Prime Minister Ham Lini and held a working consultation with Foreign Minister Bruno Leingkone.

Digicel unveiled the hottest and latest smartphones from Samsung’s Galaxy flagship line, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ during the annual ICT Days in Vanuatu on the 17th May. Hosted in conjunction with World Telecommunications Day, ICT Days provides telecommunications experts with an opportunity to showcase their latest technology while reinforcing relationships with all players of the ICT ecosystem in the Pacific. 

Preparations are progressing well to accommodate over 2400 athletes and officials coming from 24 countries in the region including New Zealand and Australia.

No budget was allocated specifically for Game Villages, so Van2017 will be using five schools as the games villages.

These schools are Lycee, INTV, Ecole D’Anabrou, Fresh Wota and Central School.

 Although there are five schools, Van2017 is looking at them as only 3 village sites because three schools are in close proximity.

Lycee, INTV and Ecole D’Naburu will be classed as only one village.

But a food manufacturing company in Vanuatu is providing a more nutritional, and locally-grown option to victims of Cyclone Donna in the country's north.
Fine Foods produces sealed packs of cooked root crops and meat.

They have a long shelf-life and the packaging can even be used to patch a leaking roof.

The Anglican Church has already purchased one-point-four tonnes of packs and sent them to affected areas ... and the government has asked for a quote to purchase more.