Chamber News

Business News, Tuesday 30 March 2021

Dear members, Today’s e-newsletter covers a range of topics: urgent meeting announcements, information on upcoming workshops and our current lobbying work and more. Its a long one, but worth reading until the end. Q&A Meeting with Shefa Council on Business License Fees for 2021 Shefa’s Secretary General Morris Kaloran is inviting all businesses with a SHEFA Business License to a meeting this Thursday April 2021 from 2 – 3:30pm at the SHEFA Council Chamber. All businesses operating in SHEFA are encouraged to attend and to bring any questions that they have along to this open floor forum. Our free April workshops are live! Our April workshops are already listed up on our website, click here to view. If you are interested in attending any of these workshops and…

VCCI Seeks Government Action

COVID-19 is clearly the greatest economic crisis of recent times and has impacted all countries across the world. Despite Vanuatu being largely COVID-19 free, we are unfortunately not immune to the economic impacts. This is going to get worse before it gets better and therefore, we ask that sensible risk reduction measures to be put in place now. In almost all sectors in Vanuatu the revenue is down. The VCCI ran a survey of businesses in December 2020, and the average fall in revenue reported was 46%. The very small businesses are suffering too including handicraft vendors, fruit and vegetable vendors, kava sellers. All have all reported large decreases in sales. While there is no national statistics available on employment numbers, everyone is aware of…

Helpem Bisnis Blong Yu I Kam Antap

VCCI is delighted to offer the Port Vila business community the chance to join the second intake for the ‘Givhan long Bisnis Prokram’. This free program will provide selected businesses with business support over a 6-month period. The support includes a mentor who supports the business and assists by guiding and sharing experience with the business owner. This is expected to improve better decision making, growth and expansion and develops the skills, knowledge and behaviours business people need to maximise their potential in their business. The support also includes access to technical workshops and more workshop-based learning opportunities. This program is offered free of charge to the participant and is financed through the Chamber of Commerce and Industries’ Business Support Centre project sponsored by the Australian Governance…

VCCI Council 2021 Elections

Its that time of year again. The VCCI Annual General Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 29th April 2021. This year we have 7 seats on the Council up for election. Want to know more? Read below: The Council The Council is comprised of 16 members of the private sector, experienced in managing their own businesses and dedicated to advancing their industry sectors. By serving on the Council, these members exercise a major impact on the strategic direction of the VCCI. Recognized for their contributions by the business community, the Council members support VCCI in its mission to develop and support economic growth for all business types in Vanuatu. The Council is comprised of 16 elected positions, each serving two-year terms. Elected Council members serve as…

Private Sector Supports Oxfam Disability Initiative

The compounding impacts of COVID-19 restrictions, Tropical Cyclone Harold, and volcano ashfall in Vanuatu, spanning from March 2020 until today has resulted in a significant reduction in income and livelihoods across Vanuatu, particularly amongst households with pre-existing vulnerabilities. The Oxfam UnBlocked Cash program supports people affected by the cyclone, COVID-19 job losses, and the ash fall, and has now launched its support program in Shefa province focusing on people living with disabilities. Despite the Oxfam approach being different in each province, there’s one thing that’s proven consistent: that the private sector engagement has been exceedingly strong. Led by the Vanuatu Business Resilience Council (VBRC) the engagement of the private sector focuses on the shops and stores who are referred to as ‘vendors’ and their support…

April workshops coming up!

April’s workshop schedule is hotting up! More information below, register to book your seats now: How to Register Business START SMART- 06th April Would you like to start your own business? Here’s where to start by joining our facilitator Lopez Adams for a half day workshop on how to START SMART. Lopez will take you through the steps you need to take to start a business, including taking your idea and looking at it first from all angles. This workshop is great for anyone who wants to take the first step into running their own business. Don’t forget to START SMART! Business Basics – 09th April This full day workshop, facilitated by ANZ banks Turoa Vatoko, provides you with a greater understanding on how you…

Assessment of blockchain technology opportunities to support business resilience

The Vanuatu Business Resilience Council (VBRC) with the support of the Connecting Business Initiative (CBi) are exploring options to use blockchain technology to support businesses and improve trade between urban and rural areas of Vanuatu, and linking with overseas markets. Vanuatu is pioneering blockchain technology use in the field with its “unblocked cash transfer” program, which is currently being implemented by Oxfam in partnership with the VBRC, and was tasked for the distribution of aid funds in response to the category five Tropical Cyclone Harold which struck Vanuatu April 2020. After the successful trial of cash distribution, the VBRC wants to leverage on the lessons learned and extend the benefits of blockchain technology to facilitate the movement of goods, funds and services from and towards…

Raising Up Women in Business

During the month of February nine businesswomen have begun their journey in the Phoenix Women in Business program lead by the Vanuatu Business Resilience Council (VBRC). The Phoenix Project is a COVID-19 response project funded by the Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund, with technical support from UN Women and is only one of 5 such grants awarded in the Pacific. “We were delighted that for the first time Vanuatu has been granted this sort of funding and that it was our bid that was chosen out of the global competitive selection” says Glen Craig, VBRC Chairman. “As a result, the participating women business owners will be given the tools to endure the current period of economic downturn, then supported to grow their business the right…

Free Financial Literacy for Businesses

It is estimated that small private businesses provide up to 75% of the employment in Vanuatu and often the struggle to maintain and grow these businesses is real. However, with all of the additional support now on offer from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) that is changing – and fast. Their new suite of business support services includes entry level financial literacy workshops that are the result of a partnership between VCCI and ANZ Vanuatu. These workshops were piloted in 2020 and are on offer to business license holders each quarter during 2021, and they are free to all business owners. The pilot workshops were held in Port Vila town as well as Mele Village. The follow up which was conducted to observe…

Oxfam Unblocked Cash Transfer Program Now Extending to Shefa

With the successful implementation of the Oxfam Unblocked Cash Transfer program in Sanma and Tafea provinces, Oxfam is now focusing on rolling out implementation for Shefa Province. With the support of Oxfam’s partners including the Vanuatu Society of People Living with Disability (VSPD) and the Vanuatu Business Resilience Council (VBRC), as well as Save the Children, Vanuatu Red Cross and Vanuatu Christian Council are working hand in hand to extend this program to Efate and off shore islands has now begun. This program provides assistance to those most in need as a result of the combined effects of COVID, volcanic ashfall (in Tafea) and TC Harold and the resulting impact people’s livelihoods which created hardship in many areas of Vanuatu. For the Shefa program, given…

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