Helping Haitian micro and small businesses bounce back

In Haiti, political uncertainty and an unstable social climate are significantly hindering the development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), especially those run by women.

The goal of our new Relance project is to support Haitian organizations in their economic recovery by implementing initiatives that foster the resilience and development of MSMEs. In return, MSMEs will help create economic stability, ease social unrest and reduce poverty in Haiti.

We plan to reach these objectives by focusing on:

• Increased use of public and private funds and programs geared toward developing and funding MSMEs, a key component to entrepreneurship in Haiti.
• A structured program to support businesswomen that will help them manage unexpected events and strengthen their businesses to maintain jobs and keep their business running over the long term.
• A research chair on business innovation and an accelerator program to encourage innovation among businesspeople in Haiti to ensure the growth of their businesses.

This 5-year project will be funded by Global Affairs Canada and will be run in partnership with the Haitian Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It will also be carried out in collaboration with HEC Montréal's Pôle IDEOS and several local partners.