14 Apr 2005

Vanuatu hopes New Zealand might provide money to boost rural businesses

8:15 pm on 14 April 2005

Vanuatu's Government is hoping New Zealand will help finance small rural enterprises in a campaign to build the country's struggling economy.

Vanuatu's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sato Kilman, is in Wellington for talks with the Government and aid officials.

Mr Kilman says they want New Zealand to help develop economic activity and develop areas apart from the main towns, not least to stop the urban drift.

He says aid donors have traditionally not been willing to provide direct funding because of the way governments have mismanaged their finances in the past.

"What I like to think is that if our Government can prove we are committed to getting this thing to work - we can have in place proper procedures to ensure the scheme works - then I hope the development partners can come to the desk with this and we can get it going."