TELEPHONE MONOPOLY ENDED
Telecom Vanuatu’s monopoly of the domestic telephone service has ended. TVL had been owned one third by Cable and Wireless, one third by Cable France, and one third by the Vanuatu government. It is understood that the government transferred its one third equally to the other two companies in consideration of the monopoly agreement being terminated.

EU AWARDS VANUATU WITH ENERGY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
Vanuatu is the only applicant country in the Pacific to be awarded four EU renewable energy projects worth three million Euros. The initiative will include four new copra mills, power plants, low voltage distribution networks, billing equipment and training.

DIGICEL COMES TO VANUATU
Irish based Digicel has been granted a telecommunications license upon the termination of the long standing monopoly position of Telecom Vanuatu Ltd. Digicel is obliged to service 75% of population within 6 months of launch. This will be accomplished using a wireless mobile network which will integrate with the Telecom network to allow calls to be made between the two systems.

NEW AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT BANK TO PROCEED
The government has approved the injection of capital to commence the new Agriculture Development  Bank. 40% in year one and 20% in each of the next three years.  The aim is to assist local farmers to develop the agriculture sector, which is the backbone of the country’s economy and employment. This is not the first time a development bank has been attempted in Vanuatu.

JAPANESE INCREASE AID
The Japanese government committed over 176 million Vatu to upgrade the Port Vila international wharf, and to promote structural reform efforts. The wharf’s last major upgrade was 35 years ago, before the conversion to mainly containerized cargo. The port area now suffers from lack of container storage space and both the many cruise ships and cargo ships must share the same wharf unloading area. The Japanese government is one of Vanuatu’s long standing aid donors.

NEW AIRCRAFT FOR AIR VANUATU
Air Vanuatu’s new Boeing 737-800 aircraft was brought into service during the quarter. It is painted in island colors with one of our active volcano’s depicted on the tail of the plane. The plane is configured to carry 170 passengers and has extensive backup facilities as all the routes of Air Vanuatu are almost entirely over water. The next aircraft acquisition is slated to be a new  ATR-72, due next year.

BRED BANK OPENS IN PORT VILA
Bred (Vanuatu) Limited, part of the Banque Populaire Group in France, has opened a full service commercial banking operation in Vanuatu. This is the first EU based banking group to open in the country and we wish them success.

COCOA EXPORTS TO SINGAPORE
A Vanuatu farmers’ cooperative has made its first successful export of cocoa beans to Singapore. Previously such exports were handled by intermediaries in Vanuatu. With this access some 1300 small farmers may be able to realize higher prices for their cocoa beans. Vanuatu exported 742 tons of cocoa in the September quarter, an increase of 29% over the same quarter last year.

AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS
The Chinese Government is proposing a massive oil palm plantation project in Vanuatu, in spite of agricultural expert reports that the oil palm trees are not resistant to cyclone winds which Vanuatu experiences regularly.  The lack of an Environmental Impact Assessment concerning the loss of forests (the Chinese undertake to export all the economic timber which is cleared) and thus the way of life for hundreds of years, has the custom land owners concerned.

Clive Grainger & E Atsumi SeaJapan 2008

Cherry Blossom Time Matsuyama, Japan

Don doing his " Shanghai Standup "