P-au-P, June 28, 2024 [AlterPresse] — The head of the transitional government, Dr. Garry Conille plans to take concrete measures as soon as possible to revitalize Haiti’s economy, according to information gathered by AlterPresse.
He made this announcement during a meeting with members of the Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH), on Thursday, June 27, 2024, during which the current economic and industrial challenges, as well as measures to be adopted to address them were discussed.
Discussions also included exemption from taxes on imports of raw materials, improvement of customs processes, strengthening of border controls and support for the renewal of the Hope Help Act.
Garry Conille praised Adih’s continued efforts to promote industrial development in Haiti, while recognizing the need to achieve political and economic stability for better performance of the industrial sector.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to fighting corruption, updating the tax system which must align with current economic realities and working closely with Adih and other employers’ associations with a view to create a favorable business environment.
He believes it is important to continue dialogue and collaboration to address challenges related to the industrial sector, while placing particular emphasis on the participation of the economic sector in decision-making and the strengthening of public-private partnership.
The criminal acts of armed gangs which have intensified since Thursday February 29, 2024, continue to hamper economic activities in the country, causing a serious humanitarian crisis.
“Economic activity in Haiti continues to be influenced by the socio-political situation which paralyzes the proper functioning of the productive system in almost all sectors. (…) The current economic activity indicator (Icae) published by the Haitian Institute of Statistics and Informatics (Ihsi) for the first quarter of the 2023-2024 fiscal year reveals a clear contraction of the economy. This index shows poor performance in the main sectors of the economy with a decline of 3.8% in the overall index.
This was noted by the Bank of the Republic of Haiti or Central Bank, in a note on monetary policy covering the period from October to March 2024.
In addition, the dysfunction of the country’s main ports and airports, between February and March 2024, disrupted the supply of public markets, leading to “an increase in the prices of basic products which, reinforced by the decapitalization of vulnerable households, contributed to the increase in the number of people in food insecurity, we read in the note.
Nearly 5 million people, or half of the Haitian population, in food insecurity for the period from March to June 2024, “need urgent action to fill their food consumption deficits and protect their livelihoods,” warned the National Food Security Coordination (CNSA). [emb apr 28/06/2024 12 :35]
