BLP in Vanuatu: Impact, changes & opportunities for SMEs

The Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) are Business Link Pacific’s in-country partner in Vanuatu, assisting us in delivering the BLP programme and services to the small-medium sized enterprise sector.

Vanuatu was the first country in the Pacific Islands where the BLP programme was launched back in 2017, in partnership with the VCCI. 

In this podcast we are joined by Astrid Boulekone, General Manager of the VCCI who shares the positive impact of BLP in Vanuatu over the last 3 years and the importance of business advice for SMEs in the Pacific Islands, especially in terms of business resilience and business continuity planning. 

Host: Emma Crawford-Falekaono

Emma has over 15 years’ experience in chartered accountancy and commercial environments globally. She started her career in accounting before taking time out to deploy as a Military Police Officer to Southern Afghanistan. In 2014, she made the move into the tech industry and was a Business Consultant for Business Link Pacific, delivering professional development and skills training courses to growing businesses in the Pacific region. 

Credits:

Recorded, mixed & edited by Dave Rhodes of Dave Rhodes Productions.

Music credit: Alex Khaskin

Business Link Pacific is a private sector programme supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade and DT Global. The core team is based in Auckland, New Zealand and supported by in-country partners in Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Cook Islands. 

For more information visit the Business Link Pacific Portal: https://businesslinkpacific.com 

Chapters

• 0:00 Guest & Topic Introduction
• 1:34 Tell us about the role of the Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce & Industry
• 2:42 Vanuatu was the first country where Business Link Pacific was launched. What can you tell us about this experience?
• 5:04 How is Vanuatu trying to set itself apart from the rest of the Pacific Islands?
• 7:33 What advice would you give to small and medium sized businesses that want to be successful in Vanuatu?
• 9:29 Can you tell us about your current work with BLP? Maybe one experience that you want to highlight?
• 11:36 What was the long-term impact to business from Cyclone Pam?
• 14:13 What is the best way to contact the VCCI?
• 15:41 Where do you see the BLP programme in Vanuatu in another 2 years?