Caribbean Export OUTLOOK 3rd Edition

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Pulse of the Caribbean

residential elections were held in Haiti on 20 th November 2016 and the result was a convincing victory for Jovenel Moïse who won over 55% of the vote; although only a fifth of the electorate participated. Moïse had never previously held political office, but was a businessman, and Former President of the North- West Chamber of Commerce and that brought with it an expectation that some of Haiti’s deep and underlying economic problems would be addressed more effectively. A major early challenge for Moïse was overcome in March 2017, when his government’s policy programme received parliamentary approval. The programme focused on: promoting and developing agriculture, tourism, construction and infrastructure, and entrepreneurship. During the debate the then Prime Minister Dr. Jack Guy Lafontant announced plans to establish an expert panel to carry out feasibility studies for various agricultural projects and programmes. In addition, Lafontant promised to improve access to loans for agricultural businesses; to set up a National Agricultural Development Bank (BNDA); and an insurance system for the sector. Also, there was a commitment to improve the country’s road system and to increase investment in health and education, including the creation of ten new ‘model’ public secondary schools in P

Moïse had never previously held political office, but was a businessman... and that brought with it an expectation that some of Haiti’s deep and underlying economic problems would be addressed more effectively.