Haiti Special Coordinator Thomas Adams

In a recent interview with The Canadian Press, the US State Department’s special coordinator for Haiti Thomas Adams reaffirmed the importance of private investment for the Haitian economy. “Haiti needs private investment. All the donor money, as generous as it is – and I think Canada and a lot of countries have been very generous – isn’t enough to fix Haiti.”

This comment followed Mr. Adams’ prediction that it will take Haiti three decades to become a middle income country. Never the less, the State Department official stressed that countries already invested in Haiti should not be intimidated by this estimate.

“There is no reason why Haiti can’t become a middle income country. But because they’re starting so low, it’s going be to be 25-30 years even if they have good economic growth,” Adams said in an exclusive interview with The Canadian Press. He also predicts growth in Haiti’s textiles, agricultural and tourism sectors.

Mr. Adams cautioned that “It’s not a quick fix. These problems in Haiti – their educational system, their health system, cholera, the infrastructure – these aren’t quick fixes,” he added. “It’s good to be realistic. That’s not to say we’re not making progress each year … But overall, you’re not going to see a Haiti the way you’d like it for a while.”

With regards to the political paralysis that has stalled President Michele Martelly’s mandate and the resignation of Martelly’s first Prime Minister four months into the term, Adams commented “[T]hat’s pretty much over. There’s a truce between the president and the parliament. It seems they’re willing to work together. The president has confidence in the new prime minister.”

Click here to read Mr. Adams’ interview with The Canadian Press.

Photo Credit: US State Department