Vanuatu's Finance Ministry says it's about to tender for contractors for planned infrastructure projects under the Millennium Challenge Fund .
Vanuatu has just received its first disbursement of 1.1 million US dollars under the US-sponsored Fund for projects which are scheduled to begin later this year and early next year.
It's the first instalment of a 65.7 million US dollar compact of agreement for funding to build infrastructure including airports, wharves, roads and warehouses.
The director of the Finance Ministry's Programme Management Unit, Lennox Vuti, says the first disbursement won't actually fund the construction of these projects.
"This first disbursement is to cover costs of operations of the Programme Management Unit, and the costs of the procurement agents hired internationally from France, and then the costs of the fiscal agents, and the costs of labour, National Statistical Office, and Environment check."
Lennox Vuti says the first main projects will see the construction of wharves in Pentacost and Epi, and main roads in rural Efate, Santo, Tanna, Malo, Ambae, Pentacost and Malekula.
