During the closing ceremony of the II Entrepreneurs’ Fair at Santo Domingo’s Acropolis Center yesterday, Thursday 13 November 2014, businessman Juan Vicini announced new projects for the border with Haiti.
He said the potential projects would benefit around four million young Dominicans and 4.5 million Haitians through the new jobs that would be created. “I think it is possible. The economic growth rates that can be generated there are greater than those for other parts of the country when taking into consideration the infrastructure works that are needed.” He commented that border trade is worth around RD$1 to RD$2.5 billion a day, and that most of it is informal. Haiti is the country’s second largest trading partner. Vicini added that the land border makes the cost of exporting to Haiti lower compared with the cost of exporting to other parts of the world.
He encouraged businesspeople to go ahead and make the deals rather than waiting for the conclusions of the government meetings. He believes that governments would only have to make minimal investments, mostly in areas like contract regulation, while businesspeople and international organizations would provide the funds needed to kick-start the projects.
Vicini said that the business talks have concentrated on investing in three points between Ouanaminthe-Dajabon, Pepillo Salcedo-Macasias and the Artibonite valley, to make the most of that watershed to increase irrigation for Haiti.
The Entrepreneurs’ Fair was organized by legislator David Collado (deputy PRD National District) who maintains a TV program and magazine dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship.
http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2014/11/14/345257/Vicini-anuncia-inversiones-para-desarrollar-frontera-RD-y-Haiti