Nirad Tewarie, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce T&T (AmchamTT), expressed concern at The Normandie Hotel in Port of Spain, on the need for a visa for Haitians to enter Trinidad and Tobago, while the AmCham T&T, hosted a Doing Business in Haiti session.

"As part of Caricom, Haitians should be granted access to Trinidad and Tobago, especially if they already possessed a US, Canadian or Schengen Visa and to continue to do otherwise undermines the letter and spirit of Caricom and makes it more difficult to do business with Haiti, whose economy experienced growth 3% annually in the past two years," stressed Nirad Tewarie.

Let us recall that the Doing Business in Haiti session was a prelude to a trade mission to scheduled from June 14 to 18 and organised in collaboration with Amcham Haitihttps://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13735-haiti-economy-investments-of-the-diaspora-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean.html . The trade mission coincides with the Business Future of the Americas (BFA) Conference which will be held for the first time in Port-au-Prince, Haiti at the Marriott Hotel. The BFA is an annual conference hosted by The Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America (AACCLA) secretariat and its 24 member American Chambers of Commerce throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. This year’s theme is Diaspora Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean and the conference will provide the latest information and best practices on channelling investments from the diaspora and sustainable methods for working in emerging markets.

"Haiti is a country of unexploited business opportunities, in a strategic location, has a pro-business government and a fully liberalised economy and provides a platform to access 600 million consumers through free trade agreements and preferential access," declared Ivy Kuperberg, director of Promotions at the Investment Facilitation Center (CFI) of Haiti, recalling some of the benefits open to investors, including, total exemption from income tax and municipal taxes for up to 15 years.

Dhanraj Harrypersad, manager, exporTT declared as a part of its partnership with AmCham T&T, the agency will provide any specific market research companies may need to aid in their investment decisions.

The CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago urged businesses to take advantage of this opportunity as Haiti offers tremendous potential. "Haiti is a free market economy that enjoys the advantages of low labour costs and tariff-free access to the US via CBI (Caribbean Basin Initiative) and HOPE (Hemispheric Opportunities through Partnership Encouragement Act), for many of its exports," highlighting business opportunities in various sectors such as : light manufacturing, food and beverage, medical supplies and equipment, tourism and building and modernising Haiti’s infrastructure.

SL/ HaitiLibre