The Gap...

Most development initiatives tend to rely on statistics or data and information as to why a "need" existed and why the help or aid would, if in some cases improve the situation. Thus development partners throughout the region and internationally carry out baseline studies to determine the gap and how their support - funds, training, research & development, out-sourcing consultants and so forth would reduce the gap.

According to the Tourism department, "Espiritu Santo is the second destination island after Efate with an estimation of 10, 000 to 12, 000 international visitors a year. This represents 13% of visitors coming to Vanuatu."

Having such reliable data, it would depict how the tourism industry would benefit from such a demand created by increasing number of tourist every year at least. The above mention example, characterize how such data can be presented as an incentive for support by development partners.

Access to such information or data also can present a road-map to which policies can complement across the productive sectors, especially the agro-tourism industry. This example of influx of visitors tabulates, for instance, a trend or demand across the Hotels & Resorts industry. Market intelligence reports, whether it is quarterly or annually, provides an insight which allows hotels & resorts to draw out menu schedules, customers preferences and farmers and traders to plan accordingly to cater for the demand by supplying vegetables, preferred root crops and fruits. Indirectly, the demand creates for farmers in the beef industry an incentive to improve their breeding and stocking programs to supply butchers who are then in-demand to supply the markets.

As it is with markets there are unpredictable trends, the Tourism department has seen the importance of keeping updated with the changes and providing information to visitors and stakeholders that are in some ways involved in the tourism industry, has set up the Sanma Information Centre (SIC) with assistance of the New Zealand  government to address the "gap." The centre was open earlier this year where dignitaries from both the government and the private sector who witness the opening of this institution, which was deemed to enhance the experience visitors have when coming to Santo and give much exposure to local tour operators and other tourism entrepreneurs in the industry.

The Sanma Information Centre situated right at the heart of Luganville town

Source: Tourism department, Sanma Province

              Sanma Information Centre, Luganville - 

              (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sanma-Information-Centre/219456271584330)

Wealth of New Opportunities

"Vanuatu's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector is about to experience unprecedented growth. Individuals and companies that rely on affordable, high-availability and low-latency telecommunications services will soon have a new service on their doorstep", according to Interchange - a Vanuatu-based company committed to a better future for Melanesia by providing nation-building telecommunitcations technologies and infrastructures to communities throughout the entire region.

Interchange Limited has completed installing a submarine fibre optic network (ICN1) connecting Port Vila (Vanuatu) to the Southern Cross Cable Network at Suva (Fiji) - a $30 million project involving French telecommunication corporation Alcatel - Lucent to deploy Vanuatu's first international submarine cable system. .

Laying of the Submarine Fibre Optic Netwrok (ICN1) off the shores of Efate, Port Vila - Mele Bay Beach Man hole to the Prime Cable Landing Station (CLS) facility

Now up to this point, what becomes of Vanuatu in-terms of ICTs developments? Interchange Limited's Simon Fletcher reaffirms that a pro-investment government, stable economy, warm friendly people, great climate and favorable taxation structure for business all combine to complete a compelling picture. This shows how ICTs development goes a little long way to materialize, it takes on a socio-economical perspective and political will to see change happen.

Furthermore, there has been talks of connecting Solomon Islands to the Southern Cross Network Cable via a Vanuatu - Solomon (VU-SI) project. Reaffirming its commitment to a better future for Melanesia, Alcatel has completed a commissioned Desktop Study for the second leg of the Interchange Cable Network linking Port Vila, Vanuatu to Honiara, Solomon Islands with a spur to Luganville, Espiritu Santo (Sanma Province)

Installation of ICN is completed connecting Vanuatu to the SCCN - the dotted yellow line shows the next phase of the Interchange Cable Network expected to be completed by December 2014

Individuals, Farmers, Enterprises and Commercial entities in Sanma Province will immensely benefit from this significant boost in ICT development. Interchange predicted that with such superior infrastructure it will almost impact all sectors of Vanuatu society; including much faster download speeds for domestic internet users, and the enhanced capacity will underpin rapid developments in areas such as e-healthcare, education, business, commerce and industry, tourism, agri-tourism and agriculture and Government communications and so forth.

It seems fair to argue that farmers will definitely reap benefits from such a radical change that will impact lives right down at the community level. Market information, communication pathways and reliable data for both end users at the end of a value-chain of a particular commodity is validated, contributing to competitive, balanced and sustainable markets.

“This will be a quantum leap forward in terms of our technical ability to meet the needs of the fast growing ICT sector. It’s also the dawn of a new era for Vanuatu” Simon Fletcher. CEO Interchange.
(Source: www.interchange.vu)

A Step Further

Prime Minister handing over a phone to farmer, witnessed by a WV Staff

World Vision (WV) through its project, Sanma Community Economic Development (SCED) project has been working together with Certlink to deliver better services to farmers from South Santo. The initiative of "100 'bisnis in a box' mobile phones for the launch of the VCMB “Information, Marketing & Management Systems” (IMMS), mobile and a cloud-based online database platform designed to deliver a track and trace system for people and product in the various commodity supply chains" (www.facebook.com/Certlink) is another step in developing ICT transfers towards innovative agriculture. The initiative was supported by the local mobile network provider Digicel, which have provided access to mobile networks in almost every island in Vanuatu and in Sanma Province.

Happy farmers with their mobile phones with the Prime Minister and his delegation

The Prime Minister, Hon. Moana Carcasses Kalosil, a delighted farmer and the Director of the Office of Government Chief Information Office (OGCIO)

Source:
World Vision Santo Office -  Sanma Community Economic Development (SCED) project
www.facebook.com/Certlink
         

Creating a Ripple Effect

The department of Industry (DoI) under the ministry of Tourism, Trade, Commerce & Ni - Vanuatu Business (MTTCNVB) currently working on an initiative which is similiar what World Vision (WV) through its Sanma Community Economic Development (SCED) project is doing. It is a Market Information System (MIS) set to connect farmers with respect to farm activities each is focused on, whether it be Cattle, Copra, Forestry, Vegetable farming, Freshwater Prawns. WV has laid down critical ground work that should emerge as the foundation to which ICTs can paly a vital role in-terms factors affecting such commodities - prices, weather, transport and so forth.
The department is looking at connecting farmers across the province whereas WV is concentrating on the southern region, creating one less area to work with. The MIS is set as a platform where farmers and buyers or vendors can interact directly through the use of mobile devices, eliminating usual cost of transport, fluctuating weather patterns and price. It is the hope that, with such initiative farmers would greatly benefit from ICTs and many developments concerning innovative approaches to agriculture.

The MIS set-up is feature below:

Marketing Information System (MIS) Flow Chart

Source:
Department of Industry - Promotion and Marketing Division