The government of Hipolito Mejia will spend DR$50 million (around US$3.1 million) on projects to improve commerce agriculture and quality of life along the Haitian border. The Director of Frontier Development, Leonidas Ignacio Caraballo Caba, told El Siglo that the funds would be directed toward reforestation of river basins, planting of new forests, irrigation systems and new housing. New administrative offices would also be set up in each border province to better coordinate projects. The Frontier Development Administration is so new that it has yet neither an office nor a budget. Traditionally, frontier communities have been the most neglected, and high indices of unemployment, lack of services and poor health have been the result. During the past year, the governments of France, Canada and the United States have each announced their sponsorship of new industrial free zones along the frontier to provide new jobs and give a boost to cross-border commerce.
