The Tribune

The Chamber of Commerce (BCCEC) took a 17-strong delegation of Bahamian businesspersons to Haiti last week on its latest trade mission.

The May 23-26 event partnered with Aliv, Bahamasair and the Bahamas Embassy in Haiti, and was headed by Chamber chief executive, Edison Sumner.

The mission included a call with Haitian president, Jovenel Moïse; the country's prime minister, Dr Jack Guy Lafontant, and other government ministers at the Haitian National Palace. Talks focused on the Bahamian private sector's commitment to follow-up on the recent high-level government visit to Haiti in February.

Trade facilitation, logistics and agriculture were among the key topics discussed. The Haitian president stressed that his government was open to trade and investment, particularly in the agriculture and electricity generation sectors.

The Bahamian delegation also visited E-Power, a power station; Port Lafito, a real estate development that includes a modern international port, a free zone, a business park, country club and an ocean club; and AGA Corp Group, a clothing manufacturer.

The mission also featured business-to-business sessions, where Bahamian businessmen were paired with their Haitian counterparts in a series of meetings to discuss and explore business opportunities in Haiti. Apart from the one-on-one meetings, the delegation also benefited from presentations from the Centre for Facilitation of Investments in Haiti; a micro-financing company, Fonkoze; and Digicel BPO, a business division of Digicel Haiti, which focuses on providing Business Processes Outsourcing (BPO) through contact centre services.

The Chamber gave a presentation about the trade and investment opportunities available in The Bahamas; the details of which were outlined in a commemorative Trade Mission Booklet that was widely distributed.

The mission ended with a networking reception where about persons from government and the private sector gathered.