Haiti Sector Identification, Sector Report 1: Construction and Infrastructure
- Haiti scores lowest of the peer countries in the construction competitiveness benchmark, driven by limited domestic market growth potential, an uninviting regulatory and business climate and limited industry critical mass.
- Construction represents approximately 10 percent of Haiti's GDP, and there are roughly 300 firms and building contractors, most of them poorly structured, with no surety industry to help them win public contracts.
- Housing finance is weak: there are fewer than 400 outstanding mortgages nationwide, worth 145 million USD as of June 2017.
- Haiti imports close to 1.8 million tons of cement a year and has no cement production, and the report names cement manufacturing as an opportunity.
- Municipal assemblies have not been established, so the Ministry of Economy and Finance can only lease state land in the private domain or enter joint ventures.
- The report names access to basic infrastructure, affordable housing and construction finance, particularly leasing and bonds, among the opportunities for investors.
The report describes the construction value chain, global sector trends and global trade and foreign direct investment in construction. It compares Haiti with peer countries using over 80 indicators in 11 categories of competitiveness, and finds that Haiti is the least competitive of the countries compared, because of limited domestic market growth potential, an uninviting regulatory and business climate, and little industry critical mass. It says Haiti should focus first on its regulations and business climate and on infrastructure and logistics.
The sector profile covers the public institutions involved in land and construction (the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the General Tax Directorate, the Ministry of Public Works, the national cadaster office and municipalities), construction companies, real estate developers, banks, microfinance, leasing and sureties, and sub-sectors such as building blocks, steel, cement and quarrying. It names four opportunities: access to basic infrastructure, cement manufacturing, an affordable housing offer, and construction finance, particularly leasing and construction bonds. It also notes that municipal assemblies have not been established, which limits the state to leasing or joint ventures on its private-domain land.
How to cite
Investment Consulting Associates (ICA), 2017, Haiti Sector Identification, Sector Report 1: Construction and Infrastructure, accessed via HaitiDocs, https://www.haitidocs.org/doc/ica-2017-haiti-construction-infrastructure-sector-report
- Rights holder
- Investment Consulting Associates (ICA)