Do we Haitians have what it takes to be Entrepreneurs?

From just an observation, I see Haiti as a country with a lot of needs and also lot of opportunities. Often people will tell me that Haiti is "Vierge" or it is a virgin, not yet exploited, with unlimited opportunities. I think being a country with lots of opportunities is a good thing. People with great entrepreneurial mind will take the advantage that the country offers within seconds.

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So my obvious question is: If Haiti has such great opportunities why is it that capable Haitians do not take advantage of it?

Should we say there is a lack of entrepreneur minds capable of exploiting all the resources available such as manpower, absence of competition, a consuming population. Let me remove from the equation the first likely defense from those who think they are entrepreneurs and want to justify their inaction. Government doesn't run a country, interest groups do. Most people who come to power often have a long long tell of campaign contribution, groups with specific powers that actually dictate what can be or can't be done. Haiti is not different, we do have these established power; however their focus is on destruction and not construction. A clear example would be collective forces to finance coup d'Etat in Haiti.

Let me return with my original question, why can we use these forces instead to create, to demand from our government a more stable environment for business? Have you ever wondered why Haiti can't take advantage of the HOPE Act? For those who may not know, the 109th Congress passed the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through
Partnership Encouragement Act of 2006 (HOPE I), which included special trade rules that give preferential access to U.S. imports of Haitian apparel. HOPE Act I and then later II allowed for the duty-free treatment of select apparel imports from Haiti.

This opportunity has not been taken by Haitian business sector but rather by some foreign companies. Again, this is a clear sign that the country is brain dead in term of entrepreneurship.

You can consider Haiti and its home grown entrepreneurs like a woman. Being a virgin in your early age is very attractive and most men would do anything to marry you. However, if you are in your late 30s, going on to 40s or even 50s, this is no longer a joke. The first question most men will ask, what's wrong with this old bag.

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All Comments (5)

Paul Bance says...

Sure, Haiti is full of businessmen with knowledge of accounting, business administration, money and banking administration.

Haiti just needs partnership.

Haitians should work as a team of partners to create jobs in all types of business in Haiti to reduce unemployment in

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Duvivier Jean says...

Haitians are artists not Entrepreneurs

You can't expect Haitians to dream concretely and come up with business ideas that will revolutionize the way we are in Haiti.

We are dreamers and this is one of the reasons we create beautiful and inspired artworks.

Often, you will year a Haitian art show somewhere in the world in some of the most prestigious places on earth.

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Jano Jaclin says...

The citizens of a country are often the products of their environment.

The same is true for Haiti and its business environment.

Although there are great opportunities in Haiti to make money while providing needed services to the population, because of the way we grew up, we are not likely to take advantage of these opportunities.

It will take someone Denis O'Brien to realize that Haiti offers a unique opportunity for him to make millions in Cellphone.

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Benito Volcy says...

That's mostly the reason the country is in such a bad shape because every time someone try to go back and help or bringing business in the country they get killed.

The government need to address this issues immediately if anyone care about the people of the country.

It's a question of SECURITY.

Please GOVERNMENT address this issues "PLEASE" SO some of us can go back and help and also help our Families leave a better

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Bwa Sanfey says...

How can the country progress if every time someone has the intention of opening a business, that person gets gun down. Haitian does not like

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