Asian Development Bank (Vanuatu)

Vanuatu is an archipelago with a population of 300,000 people spread across 84 volcanic islands in the West Pacific. The collapse of tourism has made Vanuatu’s economic growth increasingly dependent on passport sales, public infrastructure spending, private sector construction activities, and aid flows. Rural populations are engaged in subsistence farming and limited production of copra, beef, cocoa, tuna, and kava for export. ADB’s assistance to Vanuatu will continue to support ongoing investments to improve transport connectivity, energy access, and urban development.

ADB has supported Vanuatu since 1981 to build physical and economic resilience, upgrade transport and energy assets, improve urban infrastructure and health systems, and improve the performance of stateowned enterprises. Ongoing assistance is supporting the country to address immediate needs linked to COVID-19, while ADB longer-term support aims to strengthen institutions to improve infrastructure and service delivery.