The Vanuatu Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (VFIPA) has identified potential investment opportunities in Santo as it steps up efforts to attract domestic and international investors to provincial economies.
The agency completed an investment profiling mission in Santo, engaging with businesses, private-sector representatives and other stakeholders to assess the island's investment environment and identify opportunities aligned with Vanuatu's Foreign Investment Promotion Strategy 2026–2030.
VFIPA said the exercise would help build a pipeline of credible, investment-ready opportunities for targeted promotion to prospective investors.
The profiles will provide information on specific opportunities, available assets, locations and sector potential, helping investors conduct preliminary assessments and engage with businesses and local stakeholders.
The mission was led by VFIPA Manager for Investment Promotion and Facilitation Alick Robsen Joe, assisted by Senior Investment Promotion Officer Lee Tabi, who is based at the agency's Northern Office in Santo.
VFIPA chief executive Raymond Vuti supported the initiative as part of the agency's efforts to strengthen investor engagement and give greater visibility to investment opportunities outside the capital, Port Vila.
During the mission, the team consulted businesses and private-sector representatives to understand existing commercial activities, ongoing developments and areas where additional investment could support Santo's economic growth.
Real estate companies operating in Santo also helped connect VFIPA with businesses and stakeholders, providing local knowledge of property developments, commercial activity and the broader investment environment.
The agency identified potential opportunities across tourism, hospitality, commercial activities, property development, professional services and other areas of the local economy.
VFIPA expands provincial outreach
The mission also marked VFIPA's first awareness programme through VBTC's Vois Blong NOT, providing a platform to explain the agency's mandate, services and investment facilitation support to businesses and communities in Northern Vanuatu.
The initiative forms part of VFIPA's broader effort to improve access to investment-related information beyond Port Vila and strengthen engagement with provincial businesses and potential investors.
VFIPA said the programme also laid the groundwork for further collaboration with VBTC on future awareness activities.
The agency's Q2 2026 foreign direct investment update recorded 80 approved FDI registrations nationally, with Sanma Province accounting for nine registrations, or 11.3% of the total.
Sanma, where Santo is located, is an important source of investment activity outside the capital, according to VFIPA.
The profiling mission is intended to build on this activity by providing a clearer picture of available investment opportunities and strengthening links between local businesses and potential investors.
Focus on investment-ready projects
VFIPA said the mission reflected a more proactive approach to investment promotion, moving beyond responding to investor enquiries towards identifying opportunities, assessing local market conditions and preparing information that can be used in targeted promotional activities.
The information gathered in Santo will contribute to future investment profiles, promotional materials, investor engagement and facilitation efforts.
The agency will continue working with businesses, real estate companies, the Santo Provincial Headquarters, government agencies, VBTC and other partners to strengthen the island's investment environment.
VFIPA's latest quarterly update also showed that service industries accounted for the majority of approved foreign investment activity nationally, while tourism, professional services and construction recorded notable activity during the quarter.
The agency said these trends provided a basis for exploring Santo's potential in tourism, accommodation, hospitality, commercial development, professional services and property development.
The investment profiling initiative forms part of VFIPA's implementation of the 2026–2030 strategy, which aims to promote investment opportunities across Vanuatu and support economic diversification, business expansion, employment creation and greater private-sector participation in provincial economies.
