Haiti is not a lost cause. It’s the Caribbean’s hidden investment frontier | Opinion

By Eric Rolex Joseph
Guest Contributor

The author is a Fulbright Scholar with previous experience managing U.S. government-funded programs in economic development at USAID. 

For decades, the global narrative about Haiti has been dominated by tragedy, poverty, political paralysis and natural disasters. But beneath those headlines lies a quieter reality that investors, policymakers and the Haitian diaspora can no longer afford to ignore: Haiti is not a lost cause.  It is the Caribbean’s most undervalued investment frontier, a nation positioned at the crossroads of the Americas, filled with hardworking people, vast natural resources and a labor force that is both abundant and entrepreneurial.

Yes, the risks are real. But so are the opportunities. And in today’s fractured global economy, where nearshoring, renewable energy and sustainable sourcing are the new priorities, Haiti’s potential is too strategically important to overlook.

A geography the world pays for, but rarely pays back

Haiti’s geography is destiny. 

Situated less than two hours from Miami on an island shared with the Dominican Republic, Haiti sits at the gateway between North America and South America. Its proximity to the United States makes it an ideal base for nearshoring manufacturing and logistics, a strategy already transforming neighboring Caribbean economies.

While many companies are seeking to relocate their supply chains closer to the U.S., Haiti — with its workforce of more than 4 million and wages competitive with those in Central America — remains underutilized. 

Haiti’s sleeping giant: The northern coastline 

Few regions in the hemisphere combine natural deep-water access, geographic advantage and proximity to the U.S. market like Haiti’s northern coastline stretching from Cap-Haïtien to Môle-Saint-Nicolas, a nearby commune at the northernmost tip of the island. This area could become the engine of Haiti’s economic transformation, a new investment corridor for global industries seeking to bring or diversify operations closer to North America.

Major cruise lines are already quietly scouting for private-island destinations across the Caribbean. Although Royal Caribbean temporarily suspended its port calls to Haiti due to security concerns, it’s worth noting that the northern region of Haiti has remained largely peaceful and stable.

Haiti’s northern bays and secluded peninsulas offer some of the last undeveloped, pristine spaces ideal for such projects, capable of hosting exclusive resort islands, marina infrastructure and world-class tourism clusters. With proper planning and environmental safeguards, these investments could generate thousands of jobs and position northern Haiti as a premier leisure and service destination, much like the northern Bahamas or Turks and Caicos.

As companies recalibrate production away from Asia toward the Western Hemisphere, Haiti’s low labor costs and industrial zones make it a natural fit for textiles, light manufacturing, electronics assembly and packaging industries.

The availability of large tracts of land near Cap-Haïtien and Fort-Liberté enables the creation of modern industrial parks, such as Caracol and Codevi, which are supported by renewable energy and access to ports.

If coordinated with public-private partnerships, the northern region could evolve into a “Caribbean manufacturing belt,” supplying the U.S., Canada and Latin America with competitively produced goods while anchoring local value chains. Just next door to Haiti, the Dominican Republic is already showing much success in using such partnerships. Since passing a law in February 2020 mandating those arrangements, the country has amassed funding for many infrastructure projects it sorely needed.

Ports, air hubs, and the Atlantic gateway

Beyond manufacturing, Haiti’s geographic position on the Atlantic side of the Caribbean offers extraordinary potential for aviation and maritime connectivity.

The northern coastline could host deep-water ports capable of handling transshipment and refueling traffic between South America, the U.S. Northeast and Europe. At the same time, Cap-Haïtien International Airport and its surrounding areas are ideally situated for development into a regional air-hub linking South America to the eastern U.S. corridor.

The case for optimism

Skeptics will argue that Haiti is too complex, too fragile, too unpredictable. But so were Vietnam, Rwanda and Colombia at pivotal moments in their histories. Each rebuilt not by waiting for perfection, but by creating zones of progress where investment and governance could coexist. Any real investor knows that risks can be managed, but opportunities cannot be replaced.

Beneath the noise of crisis lies the signal of opportunity, a nation positioned to become a regional hub for innovation, production and sustainable growth.

Haiti is not a lost cause. It is the Caribbean’s hidden investment frontier. All it needs now is the courage from both Haitians and investors to believe in its potential.

Eric Joseph is a Fulbright Scholar with a Master’s in Public Policy who brings deep expertise in strategy, data-driven decision-making and high-level stakeholder engagement across Haiti and Latin America. Previously, he worked as a USAID/Haiti Senior Program Specialist, managing U.S. Government-funded programs in economic development. He is currently pursuing an MBA at Florida International University, specializing in corporate strategy and finance.

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