At the Americas Competitiveness Forum, which ended on Friday, 15 September, in Mexico City, Jude A. Patrick Salomon, the Minister of Economy and Finance representing Haiti, spoke about Haitian initiatives to promote competitiveness.

Excerpts from the intervention of Minister Salomon :

"[...]

We are convinced that the Inter American Network on Competitiveness (RIAC) will help the region avoid certain failings of globalization, by focusing on building foundations of competitiveness which must enable the progress of each, in a globalized economy. RIAC has identified well the fields of competitiveness. We must endeavor to develop and strengthen them, and then share our experience with other countries. Such a pragmatic approach should promote both internal cohesion and regional integration.

The Government of the Republic of Haiti wishes to ground a sustainable growth process. To that end, it is working on setting bases for competitiveness through many initiatives :

First of all, a development program for strategic infrastructure. Priority is awarded to infrastructure which can guarantee higher productivity in the agriculture and agro industrial sector in order to battle food insecurity and develop strategies for short term substitution to imports and in the medium term, increase our exportable supply. Thus we unfold the scheme of a Caravan for Change which calls for institutions to focus on certain parts of the country and help hone means of production. We are also referring to communication infrastructure (roads, ports, railroads, ICTs), as well as energy that is clean, accessible, competitive, for which appropriate resources must be generated.

[...]

Regarding structural reforms, work has been in progress for a number of years to modernize the legal and institutional framework for business; said work will be hastened and collaboration intensified with Parliament. Research on value chains and markets should guide a policy on competition. In the energy sector, Haiti has just established a new legal framework and is creating conditions to boost an opening of the market and increase supply.

[...]

In this context of three consecutive years of decrease of the GDP per capita, the Government’s vision is to positively spur the economy to rapidly create sustainable employment while constructing the foundation for competitiveness through reforms and strategic investments. To realize this, the working channels with the technical and financial partners must shift to take into account the urgency as well as the necessity to do things differently in order to restore hope and improve the living conditions of the population as these are the mandatory conditions to stop the brain drain and the outflow of our productive force. Therefore, it is crucial to mobilize the appropriate resources and invest better, as a means to political stability and economic competitiveness [...]"

HL/ HaitiLibre