On January 12th, 2010 the island of the Hispaniola was hit by a 7.0-magnitude devastating earthquake; the epicenter being in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Reportedly, the estimated death toll is 150,000 and most infrastructure and communication lines were destroyed and/or badly damaged. Out of the government’s 16 Ministry premises, 14 buildings collapsed completely and the 2 others are currently unusable. The central government does not have the necessary infrastructure, organization and resources (both human and financial) to manage this catastrophic natural disaster.
This natural disaster brings the epic task of rebuilding Port-au-Prince. A task that presents a challenge for the people of Haiti. The reconstruction will only be possible if the Haitian government, and the international community, manages to overcome the long standing obstacles faced due to poverty and poor governance – which have dogged the country for decades. For this reason, the private sector will have the opportunity of bringing a permanent and pragmatic solution into the country. We have several recent examples, Bosnia, Indonesia, East Timor and New Orleans. All of them similar in devastation but different in nature and in the strategic reconstruction approach.
To be successful, any Haiti reconstruction plan must incorporate strong public and private sectors collaboration. The public sector includes international organizations and local government, private companies specializing in the many areas that will bring permanent and pragmatic solutions into the country. With this blog we would like to bring questions, concerns, opinions on how to increase participation of the private sector and what will be the role of the of the private sector.
Click in OPEN FORUM to continue open discussion about this matter. As a moderator IOS Partners, Inc. is an International Economic Development Consulting and Financial Advisory Firm recognized for delivering pragmatic, market- driven solutions to governments, private companies, and donor institutions worldwide across a broad range of sectors. We provide our clients with professional expertise in the development of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) and Private Sector Participation strategies as well as Public Sector Reform, Institutional Development and the development of Regulatory and Legal Frameworks, in addition to providing Information Technology solutions. With office locations worldwide, our staff helps facilitate targeted economic growth and development through a broad range of sectors and projects. Please see more details www.iospartners.com or contact Senior Manager Director Robert Hans at rhans@iospartners.com
