The new correctional center being built by Jiangsu Company on Tanna Island will soon be completed. The project is fully funded by the Vanuatu government and will cost about 96 million vatu.

Jiangsu International is a Chinese company based in Papua New Guinea that won the tender and this is its first project in Vanuatu.

The timeframe for the project is six months, it started in May and will be completed in early November 2023.

The community benefits from the project because the contractor hired locals and they also supplied the sand, coral and blocks to complete the project.

The current status of work at the site is that by Friday of this week, the upper part of the building should be completed and interior work such as decoration and blasting will begin.

The Department of Correctional Services is managing the project at Isangel Tanna with the assistance of Construction Supervisor Mr Cyrille Mainguy and Project Coordinator Rob Macalister, technical advisor to the Department.

When the project is completed, the department will transfer low-risk prisoners from Port Vila to the provinces, while the capital will focus on improving the Port Vila Correctional facilities to accommodate inmates in the capital and the central provinces.

The government plans to establish permanent correctional centers in all six provinces of Vanuatu.

Citizens are encouraged to respect the law and to help promote a safe and peaceful communities.