Haiti, with a population of approximately 11.8 million people, is witnessing an alarming reality. In recent years, insecurity, political instability and poverty have plunged the Caribbean nation into a protracted crisis that seems never to abate. In addition to this, severe weather phenomena such as Hurricane Melissa, whose recent passage caused dozens of deaths. According to the World Bank, the economy contracted by 4.2% in 2024 and a further decline of 2% is expected in 2025 if security, inflation and investment do not improve. Against this backdrop, humanitarian aid remains essential, but not sufficient: Haiti risks remaining trapped in a permanent state of emergency if there is no business recovery.
In March 2025, the World Bank Group presented a new strategy for Haiti that seeks to balance immediate relief with building stronger economic foundations. The roadmap includes funding worth approximately $320 million to strengthen governance, create jobs, and maintain core institutional capacities. The focus is on accompanying local companies, providing them with tools and financing so that they can not only survive, but become engines of stability.
Some concrete examples illustrate this approach. This year, the International Finance Corporation – a member of the World Bank Group – and the Islamic Development Investment Bank announced a joint investment of $13.5 million in Solinghi Haiti, a local solar energy company. The project includes the installation of ten megawatts of photovoltaic panels and a storage system with a capacity of 20 megawatt hours to supply homes, schools, hospitals and small industries. This operation, organized by the International Finance Corporation, means, in addition to the numbers, that thousands of families who rely on expensive and polluting diesel generators will be able to rely on more stable and cleaner electricity.
Another case is the Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), a drinking water supplier in Port-au-Prince. In 2019, IFC invested in the company to expand its plant, and in 2025 it supported it again in an energy transition project that includes the installation of solar panels and a battery system of up to five megawatts per hour. The goal of this new investment is to reduce costs, improve efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the midst of the political crisis, the drinking water company also becomes an example of environmental sustainability.
Agriculture, one of the pillars of the Haitian economy, has not been neglected. In 2024, IFC established an advisory program to strengthen horticulture and improve the incomes of small producers. According to the 2021 Haiti Private Sector Diagnostic prepared by the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank, the agricultural sector has huge growth potential if it can overcome problems of financing, infrastructure and market access. The report also identified opportunities in renewable energy, digitalization and the textile industry, which is one of the country’s largest formal employers thanks to trade advantages with the United States.
In a context of severe financial constraints, public-private partnerships are presented as another effective mechanism for promoting investment. In this area, IFC is working with the National Directorate of Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) to organize a competitive tender to identify a qualified private operator to provide drinking water to Las Caubas, in rural Haiti. Weeks ago, the International Finance Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Economy to encourage renewable energy generation, through public-private partnerships, in Los Caios, the third most populous city in the country, where electricity is available only a few hours a day.
The challenge is enormous. According to World Bank data, the unemployment rate in Haiti reached 15% in 2024. In addition, more than 60% of the population (6.3 million people) live in poverty and 24% (2.5 million) in extreme poverty. Institutional fragility, violence by armed gangs, and lack of basic infrastructure increase the cost of doing business and discourage investment. But when the market alone is not right, IFC and its partners are trying to open the door through risk-sharing mechanisms, loans and technical advice to prove that investing in Haiti is not a losing bet.
It is clear that this does not mean replacing humanitarian aid, which remains a basic necessity for millions of Haitians, but rather supplementing it with projects that provide the horizon. The World Bank Group’s new strategy insists on this dual dimension: alleviating the emergency and, at the same time, laying the foundations for more inclusive and sustainable growth. At the heart of this commitment is the International Finance Corporation, which has become the arm responsible for accompanying Haitian companies to make a leap in the midst of chaos.
The inevitable question is whether private investment can flourish in a country that lacks a minimum of political stability. Despite the risks, the cost of not investing in Haiti is greater. Every megawatt of solar energy, every liter of bottled water, every agricultural producer who improves his or her income are small victories that can make a difference if they add up. For a young Haitian who dreams of a stable job or a mother who wants to turn on the lights without relying on a generator, these investments are not abstract numbers, but glimpses of dignity.
In Haiti, where hope is often measured in days rather than decades, betting on the local private sector is a way to define the future. The International Finance Corporation, in cooperation with other institutions of the World Bank Group, has decided that the reconstruction process cannot wait until all the storms subside. If “investment” could be translated into employment, energy, and basic services, perhaps Haiti could begin to escape the perpetual cycle of emergency.