As humanitarian efforts gradually wind down, thoughts are now turning to how
The immediate challenge is to find shelter for the estimated one million survivors. But long-term challenges, experts say, will revolve around engaging the workforce, attracting foreign investment and fostering an entrepreneurial spirit.
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A UN initiative has already swung into action paying workers under $5 for a six-hour shift, more than the minimum wage, and creating jobs for 31,000 people. Workers can only sign up for a few weeks to spread the work around, reported the BBC.
Aid pouring into
“Aid should be spread over time and over the entire nation. The latter is to allow an easy move toward decentralization,” says Dr Evelyn Cartright, director of Africana Studies at Barry University in Miami.
In order to boost regional and national development,
The majority of Haitians are dependent on the agriculture sector, and the country is also reliant on imported goods from the likes of America and the Dominican Republic-Haiti imports over $2 billion worth of goods compared to exporting only $524 million worth’s.
Remittances from a Diaspora mainly based in
Although the odds are stacked against
“People have to be taught and given the opportunity to earn a living wage. Entrepreneurs have to be given an opportunity to provide a service that benefits the populace. You make money, the people have jobs and purchase the things that they need,” says Rockingster.
A recent trade agreement with America, which allows duty free access to the US for clothes manufactured in Haiti, could kick-start Haiti’s garment industry, says Ben Linkow, assistant professor of Economics at Miami University of Ohio:
“The combination of duty free access, proximity, and cheap labor means that there is certainly potential for
Draconian laws, a low-skilled workforce and other factors make the process for starting a business extremely challenging.
“Applying for an authorization to incorporate a business might become more onerous as the information required to ascertain your identity was destroyed during the quake and the public officers might capitalize on the situation and demand more than the legal amount to process your application,” says Thierry Joseph, a Haitian-born MBA from Florida International University.
Before investors can be attracted,
Recent debt cancellation by the G7 and multilateral lenders, totaling some $1.2 billion, means that money earmarked for interest payments can be directed to “developing the country’s human capital and physical infrastructure,” says Joseph.
Another important link in the reconstruction chain includes mobilizing the highly-skilled Diaspora.
“Diaspora are natural stakeholders...it’s in our interest to see an economically thriving
As long as
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