Monday 04 March, 2025 – The Government launched yesterday its 100-days plan with a strong emphasis on efficiency within the government machinery, health, education and political reforms and improving service delivery through a range of measures – all of which are aimed at economic recovery, long-term growth and sustainability.
The plan was promised exactly two weeks ago after the formation of the new government. It captures five key pillars covering all key sectors and represents the collective policy direction of the current Government and what they wish to accomplish in the next three months or so.
“Our peoples deserve better. Not only that, those who pay their dues expect us to deliver, which is why we have announced a series of directions thus far in order to restore confidence in the public sector.
“This is no time to be wasteful, given our status as the most vulnerable when it comes to natural disasters. We need to tighten the loopholes and stop the leakages. We cannot afford to be complacent,” says Prime Minister Napat.
Following the launch Prime Minister Jotham Napat today also met all Directors and Director-Generals of each of the 13 Government ministries to share the plan with them and stress realignment of all activities so that they are all in sync with the Government’s 100-days policy directives.
Prime Minister Napat had stressed during his inaugural statement that the Government he led would be ‘performance-based’. This goes for everyone from the ministers down to civil servants. He says anyone who does not perform as a public servant does not deserve to be in public office.
The directives, if they will work, will require serious considerations and changing of the mindset within the public sector, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and the country as a whole. It ensures the government machinery is working to meet expected demands, economic recovery and growth, finding new sources of revenue and growing the tourism industry, with an eye on improving connectivity throughout the islands.
Concrete policy directives towards limiting the number of public holidays and addressing ministers’ privileges under the OSA (Official Salaries Act) are also in the works.
In terms of the social sector, the Government is committed to delivering at the highest level possible which will mean investing in the country’s human resources and equipment and where specialized skills may be lacking. For health it will mean redirecting scholarships to ensure Vanuatu trains the right people to come in to better serve the country in the years ahead.
On cost-cutting measures and fairness, there are plans to limit government vehicles and address other inequalities.