Vanuatu’s Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Johnny Koanapo, has warned development partners not to exploit the Pacific’s “vulnerabilities” for strategic gain, urging donors to back projects that reflect island nations’ priorities rather than outside agendas.

Speaking at the Pacific Infrastructure Conference in Brisbane on Tuesday, Johnny Koanapo said while the region’s infrastructure needs are urgent, financing must be ‘fair, sustainable and free from conditions that undermine national sovereignty or regional unity’.

“We must be clear that our vulnerabilities must not be used as leverage to advance foreign strategic agendas that do not align with the long-term aspirations and priorities of Pacific communities.”

Mr Koanapo set out Vanuatu’s push to move away from disaster-driven, reactive projects toward a climate-resilient development program.

The plan targets rural roads, ports, renewable energy, health and education facilities, and digital networks to support e-government and economic diversification.

He also revealed that Vanuatu is considering public-private partnerships, specifically a build-operate-transfer model, to modernise airports. The approach would allow private firms to upgrade facilities to international standards, before eventually handing them back to the state.

Urging a shift from fragmented, donor-driven projects to region-wide priorities such as maritime corridors, undersea cables, aviation links and renewable grids. He argued no single Pacific country can build and protect all critical infrastructure on its own.

“We are committed to partnerships built on mutual respect, trust, and shared outcomes, and we ask that our partners support us on our terms in the spirit of true cooperation and Pacific-led development by working in genuine partnership,” he said.

His remarks come amid intensifying competition for influence across the Pacific, where donors and lenders have ramped up financing for roads, ports, airstrips and digital networks in response to climate-fuelled disasters that have exposed resilience gaps.

Vanuatu, which has long relied on partner support for rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure, is now emphasising transparency, ownership and sustainability under its national plans and the region’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.

“Infrastructure is not just concrete and steel; it is the lifeline of regional cooperation,” he said.

The Vanuatu delegation to the conference also included Minister of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Hon Xavier Harry Iauko, Member of Parliament Hon Fred Samuel, Special Advisor for International Investment in Airport Development, Milroy Cainton, and senior officials.