Let's Build Gonave, Haiti!

I think that if Gonave became it's own nation, you have to provide jobs.  There are three industries that don't cost a large sum of money and would need foreign investment. Farms Resort Cruise Ship Pier MicroBrewery Farms The island would need to produce the bulk of its food and rely very little on imports.  Imports will create a large financial stress and often hurts an area's long term growth if exports and imports are not inline.  Fish, shrimp, and crop farming should be implemented by the government but ran by the citizens.  Some of the food stock could be exported to nearby areas.  These are long term jobs that get the local economy started. Resort All inclusive resorts create a large sum of money.  The government could build a 250 - 500 room hotel, put in a few bars and clubs, have a nice pool, a few places to eat, add some entertainment (shows, small casino, etc), and make it an all inclusive resort.  Boom you have a steady suppl...

As you may know currently on the island of Gonave, well building is currently going on.  Many non-profit and religious groups are sending people over to the island of Gonave, Haiti with a mission of building wells.  While this is wonderful, because the access to clean water is very limited, it doesn't allow for any industrial size complexes. The island is at a great time in it's history.  Just recently a new hospital was built, one of the first new ones in all of Haiti.  It was built with no debt to the island residents.  This modern facility will serve the needs of many.  It is time for a larger water system in the country,that will reach all of the 120,000 or so residents.  Only then will the local economy be able to engage in tourism and small manufacturing on the island. Thoughts?

Part of a strategy to build Haiti's economy could be by bringing Chinese business owners to the country.  Incentives could be used, and specific parameters would have to be met by the Chinese business owners, such as hiring a percentage of the local population. I think for Haiti's economy to grow, some out of the box methods need to be taken.  I think that in addition to offering incentives to the Chinese, but also incentives to hotel builders so that a stronger tourism trade can flourish. Thoughts?

DRB, my brewing company could locate in Gonave.  Initially I would produce just one type of beer that would be marketed in Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.  More than likely it would be a stout, since that is my favorite, and my company has produced many types of stouts.  Given that my company is based in the US, it would be possible for my to relocate the business to Gonave if the conditions are right.  Possibly this stout would also be sold to nearby Jamaica, Bahamas, and Virgin Islands in the future.  The facility would hire initially around 20 people who would help in production and distribution.  The initial facility would need to be around 10-12,000 sq. ft.  Thoughts?

Join the blog.  I want to be able to get some ideas and thoughts on what Haiti and La Gonave need.  By creating this blog it helps me get my points across, and show some of the research I have done.  Once I get enough folks to join my blog, I will then create a website.  My goal is to bring robust awareness to Haiti and have a central focus on La Gonave, which is an island that some say even Haiti forgets. So join my site and become a member and keep up with future blogs.

Gonave needs to have dedicated power that is on the island.  Given the position of Haiti, it is hit constantly by sun and wind.  While renewable energy is one aspect, the island needs to build a strong coal or natural gas power plant.  I own my own brewery, and with a brewery, you need plenty of water and power.  These are two things that Gonave and most of Haiti lack.  If I were to locate my brewery to the island certain requirements would have to be met before I would be able to move it there.  My thoughts are a 10 MW power plant.  This would be a basic coal or natural gas power plant that could be built in a year.  The plant would have to be expandable, but can be adjusted over time.  Also build a solar farm in several phases.  The overall project could cover 100 acres and produce several MW of power per year.  Finally building a Wind Farm.  The trade winds scream over Haiti daily, and establishing a small wind farm of ...

There have been reports that oil in the island and off the coast of the island of Gonave.  The problem is that Haiti doesn't know this for certain, and also doesn't have the ability to extract the oil.  There have been developers with the interest of renting the island from Haiti and turning it into a tourist destination, but some say that was a ploy for the bigger prize, which is oil. Haiti is going through some major changes, and as time goes on, the opportunities in Haiti can be endless.  One thing that the Haitian government should be concerned with, is big oil companies and venture capitalist who care about their own pockets, and not of the overall health of the island and it's people.

The lack of roads, rail, utility, and airports puts Haiti in the stone ages.  The Caracol Industrial Park is suppose to remedy some of this, but building a 10 MW power plant, a nearby port, a new airport, and several roadway projects at a cost of about $300 million.  The USAID is running the power plant, and currently the Caracol Industrial Park isn't living up to expectations.  Wouldn't it had been a better idea to expand the current port in Port -Au - Prince since it handles most of the countries cargo, expand the airport in the city, build a couple of power plants, and setup business incubators through out the country?  This would have modernize the countries critical infrastructure and possibly lure foreign investment throughout the country.

It appears that Haiti wants to join the African Union. You may wonder why would a country several thousands of miles away from the continent of Africa, would want to join the African Union.  There is no doubt that African countries are developing at a rapid pace, and much faster than the US, and some nations are growing faster than China.  Haiti could feel that the new found development that took a while in Africa could rub off on them.  Could be that Haiti feels it has more in common with the African continent than the US, which is several hundred miles away.  Could the kinship of race be the common bond?  Only time will tell if the African Union will allow Haiti to join.

If you do a little digging, the island of La Gonave, or Gonave wants to secede from Haiti.  This is due to many different reasons, but the main reason is that many of the islands residents don't feel that the country of Haiti has their best interests.  It appears that Haiti, which can barely support it's own people near the capital, barely stays in communication with Gonave.  So many on the island are wanting to form it's own nation, but without the capital to do so, it will remain just a dream for some.  There was even talk a few years ago that a developer would develop the entire island as a mega resort.  Those plans never happened, and I think that is a good thing.  If Gonvae did secede from Haiti, what would the flag look like?  I have an idea of what I think it should represent.  Obviously it should represent the land, and the environment around it.  Some basic colors that have meaning.  The current Haitian flag, IMO, has good colo...

Food is also a major problem in Haiti and of course to a stronger degree on La Gonave.  Most food products have to be imported in, and then distributed out to different towns and regions in Haiti by the government.  Given the fractured state of the Haitian Government, economy, and infrastruture, many area get very little food.  One way to prevent this issue, is by creating a farm program.  Especially in the case of Gonave which suffers the most. One idea would be to create farms that have a high yield and return.  Thing such as wheat, corn, beans, tomatoes, peppers, etc could be grown.  To have year round production, medium scale greenhouses can also be built to handle a more robust operation.  Other food items such as farm raised shrimp, catfish, salmon, carp, and tilapia are also things that can really help boost the food supply in Gonave, and with very little investment.  Then food stalls and programs can be in place to distribute the fo...

The best way to communicate is to have HAM radio.  During Hurricane Katrina, HAM radio operators were able to send and receive communications.  FEMA, radio stations, news channels, etc. were not able to communicate due to the storm knocking everything down.  HAM radio operators could connect out to various places without a problem.  Could this be part of a normal protocol for Haiti in the event of a disaster? The startup cost for a HAM radio system throughout the country would cost next to nothing, yet could save many lives.  When you consider the island of Gonave, just a couple of inexpensive HAM towers could transmit enough power to cover the entire island.  Not to mention the system can be portable.  My suggestion for Gonave would be to have half a dozen ATV (All Terrain Vehicles), better known as 4-wheelers, and equip them with transmitters.  Get a few SUV's that can be used to transport the critically ill to the hospital, transp...

Currently the minimum wage in Haiti is $5 American dollars per day or about 215 Gourdes.  This was a law that was recently passed by government.   Some estimate that it costs a person about 100 Gourdes per day just on transit.  So how can people live on so little money?  Some estimate that a better wage of $12.50 or 550 Gourdes per day is a better starting point.  While the government of Haiti is keeping wages low to get more investment, you can't allow your people to struggle and suffer by not having their needs met.  Currently the new Caracol Industrial Park is still mostly empty and has only 2,000 people working there as of now.  The land was suppose to support some 20,000 jobs, yet investors are still keeping their distance.  Was the project too ambitious?  Should the US government who is pushing this park, offer incentives to American firms?  Should incentives be given to the current largest employer Sae-A Trading, a Korean ...

Haiti understands that it is facing a severe water shortage issue. Again drilling for water and having a water purification system will be many years away and very expensive. An article I found from International Water , which is an organization that focuses on world water issues, has a detailed map of all of Haiti and one that goes into detail on La Gonave, or Gonave. See the illustration below which is from Internationalwater.org. Now while this map doesn't mean much to some, it is very important as it shows where the water tables lie. Also it will help the island plan for future development and plan for ways to not to pollute the ground water.

Water is the first priority for Haiti and Gonave. Given that so many illnesses are from water, and given the severe lack of water, I think this is where the attention should be given first. Given that a water purification plant, pumping stations, etc are extremely expensive some NGO's, or Non-Governmental Organizations, are building a series of wells throughout the country. While this is a great start, it doesn't help the country or the island of Gonave attract tourist or industry. Above is my idea of how to start Gonave off with a strong and steady supply of water. By having these large water storage tanks you are able to get factories to come, which will employ the local population. By having these large water storage tanks you don't have to worry about the massive expense of building treatment plants and the ongoing capital cost that are associated with it. So how do you supply the water tanks with water? Why not have water right agreements with the US, Pu...

This is the first blog I have wrote on the subject of Haiti. I have seen so many depressing things about the nation, which was the first at a couple of things. It was the first independent nation of Latin America, and the first black republic of the World. There are basic things you must have to have a functioning nation. These are, but not limited to, a military, good police force, laws, proper sanitation, clean water, reliable power, strong agricultural base, solid government, and a very strong educational system. Now there are many other things that are needed such as housing, strong business community, good foreign relations, etc. Given that Haiti has so many major issues, the focus should be rather small. The country of Haiti has gotten so much world attention due to the earthquake which destroyed the country and pushed it's broken economy further behind. While many organizations and nations have pumped money into Haiti, and while many businesses are putting fa...