The Vanuatu Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (VFIPA) hosted a three-day Investment Fiji Scoping Mission to Vanuatu from 27–29 July 2026, bringing together Investment Fiji, Vanuatu Government agencies, Fiji-linked businesses, the Fiji community in Vanuatu, private sector operators and regional stakeholders to identify opportunities for investment, trade and business cooperation between Vanuatu and Fiji.

The mission builds on the continued strengthening of the partnership between VFIPA and Investment Fiji and follows an investment promotion and capacity-building engagement led by VFIPA CEO Mr. Raymond Vuti in Fiji in 2025 under the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) regional cooperation framework.

The Vanuatu mission provided an opportunity to build on those earlier discussions, with a stronger focus on progressing practical investment opportunities, strengthening business linkages, facilitating investor referrals, and identifying areas for further cooperation between the two countries.

Strengthening the VFIPA–Investment Fiji Partnership

The mission focused on strengthening cooperation between the two investment promotion agencies in investment promotion, investment facilitation, investor referrals, aftercare, information sharing and capacity development.

During the programme, the Investment Fiji delegation, led by Head of Investment & Trade Promotion, Ms. Esther Salem, and Investment Aftercare Advisor, Ms. Sepe Nicalcal, engaged with key Vanuatu Government agencies, including the Ministry of Trade and Commerce (MTC), Department of Industry, Department of Tourism, Department of External Trade, Customs and Inland Revenue, Department of Agriculture and Department of Biosecurity, Vanuatu National Provident Fund and the MSG Secretariat, as well as a range of private sector businesses.

Discussions focused on improving market access, strengthening trade and investment linkages, identifying supply and demand gaps, and developing stronger regional value chains.

VFIPA CEO Mr. Raymond Vuti said the mission represented an important continuation of the agencies’ work together.

“This mission is also a follow-up to the investment promotion and capacity-building engagement I led in Fiji last year, which provided a strong foundation for strengthening cooperation between VFIPA and Investment Fiji. This visit allows us to build on those discussions and move towards more practical outcomes, particularly in investment facilitation, business linkages, investor referrals and new investment opportunities. Vanuatu and Fiji have strong economic and people-to-people connections, and we want to see these relationships translate into tangible investment, business expansion, employment and increased economic activity.”

Engaging Existing Fiji Businesses and the Fiji Community

An important component of the mission was engagement with existing Fiji-owned and Fiji-linked businesses operating in Vanuatu, recognizing their contribution to Vanuatu’s economy and their potential for future expansion and reinvestment.

The delegation met with established businesses, including Punjas Vanuatu, as well as companies operating across retail, wholesale, manufacturing, food and beverage, agricultural processing, and other productive sectors.

These engagements provided an opportunity to understand the experiences of existing investors, including market conditions, supply chains, workforce requirements, regulatory processes and opportunities for expansion.

The mission also included engagement with the Fiji community and diaspora in Vanuatu. The diaspora provides an important bridge between the two countries through business networks, skills, relationships, and knowledge of both markets, and can play a valuable role in strengthening future commercial and investment linkages.

Manufacturing, Agriculture and Value Addition

Manufacturing and value-added industries were a major focus of the mission. Engagement with businesses involved in food and beverage production, cocoa processing, agricultural value addition, retail and wholesale highlighted opportunities to increase local production and move further up the value chain.

The delegation engaged with businesses including Tanna Coffee, 83 Island Distillery, Aelan Chocolate and Gaston Chocolat makers and gaining insight into Vanuatu’s emerging manufacturing and value-added industries.

Priority opportunities identified included cocoa, kava, coconut, coffee, agriculture, agro-processing, poultry, beef, timber and food and beverage manufacturing. Fiji-based companies could potentially contribute capital, technical expertise, technology, market access and regional supply-chain connections to these sectors.

Agriculture was also identified as an important area for cooperation, particularly commercial farming, horticulture, poultry, beef, cocoa, coconut and kava. Discussions highlighted the importance of strengthening linkages between farmers, processors, manufacturers and markets to support commercially viable production models.

Tourism, Energy, and Infrastructure

Tourism remains a key investment priority for Vanuatu and was an important area of discussion throughout the mission. Opportunities were explored in tourism accommodation, resorts, tourism infrastructure, supporting services and tourism supply chains.

The discussions highlighted the importance of connecting tourism operators with local producers and manufacturers so that more locally produced food, agricultural products, manufactured goods, and services can support the tourism industry.

Improved connectivity to key tourism destinations, including Santo, was also recognized as an important factor in supporting tourism investment and broader economic growth.

Energy was identified as another critical enabling sector. Reliable and affordable energy is essential to supporting manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, ICT, and other productive sectors. Opportunities in renewable energy, energy infrastructure and related services were therefore highlighted alongside broader infrastructure and connectivity needs.

Trade, Market Access, and Regional Cooperation

The mission examined the existing trade relationship between Vanuatu and Fiji, including opportunities to increase the movement of goods and services between the two markets.

Stakeholders highlighted the importance of better understanding import and export trends, market demand, supply gaps and opportunities for local production and value addition.

The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) framework was also recognized as an important platform for strengthening regional cooperation in trade, investment, and labor mobility. The mission provided an opportunssity to consider how Vanuatu and Fiji can continue working together to support stronger economic integration across the Melanesian region.

The mission further reinforced the value of stronger cooperation among Investment Promotion Agencies across the Pacific through WAIPA and other regional platforms, particularly in knowledge sharing, capacity development and investor referrals.

Strengthening the Investment Enabling Environment

Government discussions also focused on issues affecting the investment environment, including business classification, licensing, customs and trade facilitation, investment incentives, duty exemptions, regulatory processes, and coordination between government agencies.

Stakeholders recognized that a clear, transparent and coordinated enabling environment is essential to attracting new investment while supporting businesses already operating in Vanuatu.

The discussions also highlighted the importance of improving information sharing and coordination between government agencies and investment promotion institutions so that investors can receive timely information and coordinated support throughout the investment process.

From Investment Leads to Real Investment Outcomes

A key message from the mission was the importance of moving beyond generating investment enquiries and leads towards converting those opportunities into registered projects, actual investment, reinvestment, employment, production, and exports.

VFIPA and Investment Fiji discussed opportunities to strengthen investment pipelines, share relevant investment information and improve mechanisms for referring and facilitating investors between the two markets.

The importance of investor aftercare and reinvestment was also emphasized, particularly in supporting existing investors to expand their businesses and identify new opportunities.

This approach is consistent with Vanuatu Foreign Investment Promotion Strategy 2026–2030, which places emphasis on proactive investment promotion, priority sectors, investment facilitation, investor aftercare and stronger regional and international partnerships.

Key Takeaways from Investment Fiji

The Investment Fiji Scoping Mission provided several important takeaways that can help guide the next phase of cooperation between VFIPA and Investment Fiji:

• Strong potential for Fiji–Vanuatu business partnerships: The mission identified opportunities to strengthen linkages between Fiji-based companies and businesses operating in Vanuatu through partnerships, investment, business expansion and joint ventures.

• Priority sectors present investment opportunities: Agriculture, agro-processing, manufacturing, tourism, renewable energy, infrastructure and related services were identified as areas with potential for greater Fiji investment, technical expertise and regional market connections.

• Value addition and regional supply chains: There is potential to strengthen value chains around Vanuatu’s key products, including cocoa, kava, coconut, coffee, beef and other agricultural products, by connecting local producers with Fiji-based processing, technology, distribution and market networks.

• Existing Fiji investors provide opportunities for reinvestment: Engagement with Fiji-owned and Fiji-linked businesses already operating in Vanuatu provided insights into market conditions, supply chains, workforce requirements and regulatory processes, while also identifying opportunities for business expansion and reinvestment.

• Tourism can generate wider investment opportunities: Tourism investment can create additional opportunities for local agriculture, food processing, manufacturing, transport and other supporting services, helping strengthen linkages between tourism and the broader productive economy.

• Improved coordination is important for investors: The mission highlighted the need for stronger coordination and information sharing between VFIPA, Investment Fiji and relevant government agencies to provide investors with timely information and more effective facilitation throughout the investment process.

• Greater focus on converting leads into investment: A key takeaway was the importance of moving beyond investment enquiries and leads towards actual investment, reinvestment, business expansion, employment, production and exports. VFIPA and Investment Fiji discussed strengthening investment pipelines and investor referral mechanisms to support this process.

• Continued institutional cooperation: The mission reinforced the value of maintaining a practical working relationship between VFIPA and Investment Fiji through regular information sharing, investor referrals, joint promotion, aftercare and capacity-building initiatives.

Overall, the mission demonstrated that the VFIPA–Investment Fiji relationship has the potential to move from general cooperation towards a more targeted and commercially focused partnership, with emphasis on matching specific investment opportunities, businesses and sector priorities and following them through to tangible outcomes.

Looking Ahead

The Investment Fiji Scoping Mission represents an important next step in strengthening the economic partnership between Vanuatu and Fiji and builds on the cooperation established through previous Investment Fiji and WAIPA engagements.

VFIPA and Investment Fiji will continue discussions on the opportunities identified during the mission and explore practical ways to progress potential investments, business partnerships, investor referrals and capacity-building initiatives.

The two agencies will continue working with government ministries, existing investors, Fiji-linked businesses, the private sector, and regional organizations to ensure that identified opportunities progress towards tangible investment projects, business expansion, employment creation, increased production, exports and sustainable economic growth.

VFIPA acknowledges and appreciates the support and cooperation of Investment Fiji, the Government of Vanuatu, existing Fiji-linked businesses, the Fiji community in Vanuatu, the private sector, and the MSG Secretariat in making the scoping mission a valuable platform for strengthening investment and trade cooperation between the two countries.

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