The Haitian president has celebrated a recent bilateral trade agreement between The Bahamas and Haiti, claiming that it represented the next step in Haiti's transition from aid to trade.
In his opening remarks at a luncheon hosted by the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) at the British Colonial Hilton yesterday, Michel Martelly challenged the international perception of Haiti as a country dependent on donations and international aid, stating that the country is "distancing [itself] from aid and inviting trade".
Members of Martelly's delegation stressed the opportunities in the power, construction and agricultural sectors that Haiti offered Bahamian businesses, while calling for Bahamian assistance in strengthening Haitian financial services.
Martelly was particularly confident that investment in the Haitian agricultural industry would prove beneficial to The Bahamas by cutting down on import costs while improving the freshness of produce available to Bahamian consumers.
"If (The Bahamas) invests in (agriculture) and then we export back again to The Bahamas, we will be doing so many good things (by) creating jobs in Haiti (and) opportunities for Bahamian businessmen," said Martelly.
Martelly argued that increased trade and investment resulting from the bilateral agreement would curb illegal immigration into The Bahamas.
"(Haitians) do not come because they like The Bahamas more than Haiti; the point is that they're coming for jobs. (If) you can help us create these jobs in Haiti, then we will solve so many problems," he said.
BCCEC CEO Edison Sumner supported the agreement, describing the growing markets in northern Haiti as a, "new hot spot for incubation and expansion of business between our two countries".
"Our only wish is that next time we enter this level of discussions, that the government will see the wisdom...to get the full input of the private sector as well," said Sumner while remaining confident of the country's economic prospects for Bahamian businesses, despite earlier concerns.
Sumner claimed that Bahamian businesses had previously been discouraged against investing in Haiti by a, "lack of responsiveness of the Haitian counterparts, the need to raise capital support...(and) reported concerns over the levels of...informal bureaucracy and certain levels of undue influence".
However, both Sumner and Martelly acknowledged that the ease of doing business in Haiti had increased dramatically since the BCCEC's last trade mission, in part thanks to the establishment of Haiti's Center for Facilitation of Investment (CFI). Martelly described the CFI as a "one-stop shop" for foreign investment in Haiti.
Sumner added that the BCCEC would conduct another trade mission to Haiti some time this fall, and claimed that the chamber is looked forward to exploring the new opportunities that have become available to The Bahamas in Haiti following the new trade agreement and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the chamber and The Bahamas Ministry of Financial Services.
The MOU will purportedly facilitate a further deepening of private/public sector partnerships and, "establish a trade information service to support the private sector in accessing markets made available through regional trade agreements, such as the one [between] Haiti and The Bahamas today," according to Sumner.
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