Impact of Haiti’s political turmoil on business investment

Insight

Impact of Haiti's political turmoil on business investment

Haiti is a country without a president again. The provisional president’s 120 day mandate came to a close this week.

Lawmakers options are either extend President Jocelerme Privert’s term or try to hastily arrange a new round of elections. The U.N. is leading efforts to ensure what it calls “institutional continuity.”

CCTV America’s Roee Ruttenberg has Insight into the path ahead for Haiti’s economy.

Haitian business leaders said they were just beginning to find new investments.

“Haiti has had a very challenging first two quarters of the year. Our collective enterprises have posted over the term of the project 10,300 jobs, and $16 million in revenue. That’s incredible when you hear about all this chatter about energy or corruption or regime change or all of those things. But obviously there are entrepreneurs that are doing a great job and able to succeed,” Sowmya Krishnamoorthy from Pan American Development Foundation said

People like Justin Clerizier, an American businessman born in Haiti. “The one single thing that holds Haiti back right now really is energy because all of the sectors are really linked to energy” Clerizier said.

Kirsty Jose has been on the receiving side of such investment. She’s the Managing Director of Haiti’s only brewery-recently bought by Dutch beer-maker Heineken. “Whenever leaders come in and invest in Haiti it’s a hope. The Haiti people think that they matter, that we matter, that someone is willing to help them. And whenever you invest in Haiti it’s more opportunities that you offer to us and to you as neighbors.”

“I don’t think Haiti can fail. I think anybody who steps into that country will recognize instantly the courage, the resilience, of the Haitian people. They’ve weathered multiple crises in the country, and have come out of it very strong, very warm. They are some of the strongest people I have ever met,” Krishnamoorthy said.


Jose Garcia discusses the Haiti impact

For more on impact of current political turmoil, CCTV America’s Elaine Reyes spoke to Jose Garcia, the general manager for NH Haiti El Rancho.