The Inter-American Development Bank today announced a US$25 million grant to improve the road network and road maintenance in Haiti’s southwestern departments, where many towns and villages are difficult to reach by overland transportation.
The grant is part of a four-phase IDB program to provide Haiti with US$100 million to rehabilitate roads in its southern peninsula. A first US$25 million grant, approved last year, is already financing several projects in that region. The program is also receiving support from a CAD$75 million grant from Canada.
“Rebuilding the national road network is a top priority for the Haitian government, which views these investments as fundamental to boost economic and social development by linking remote communities with the rest of the country,” said IDB Representative in Haiti Philippe Dewez.
Most of the new grant will be used to rehabilitate 22 km of primary roads and 45 km of rural roads, as well as to improve paving and drainage at urban crossings in the departments of Grande Anse, Nippes and Sud. Resources will be provided for building bridges on the stretch between Gros Morne and Port-de-Paix, on Haiti’s northern coast.
Under the program, the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and Communications’ southwestern departmental offices will receive assistance to purchase tools and equipment and to train their staff to supervise road maintenance work carried out by local firms and microenterprises.
Transportation is one of the principal sectors in which the IDB is involved in Haiti, along with agriculture, water and sanitation, education, health and state modernization.