CASTRIES, St.Lucia,Jan. 13, CMC- St Lucia’s Prime Minister, Dr. Kenny Anthony believes Haiti’s recovery efforts after the devastating earthquake in 2010 has the potential to create an employment boom in the construction sector.
Speaking on the anniversary of the earthquake, he noted that during a recent visit to the country there were signs that the country is on the road to recovery.
Earlier this month Anthony attended a meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Bureau in Haiti to pass on the Chairmanship of CARICOM to the President of Haiti.
“We saw some signs of construction activity, some new buildings going up. The earthquake has taught them a very important lesson, they have had to review and completely revise their building codes, and the business of just putting up buildings without proper foundations and adequate steel, cement and mortar. All of that had been reviewed.”
The Prime Minister said despite the trauma of the devastating earthquake, Haitians have proven resilient as CARICOM Heads of Government prepare to visit the country in February for their inter-sessional summit.
“They have had a rough year because after the earthquake, the rains came and they lost lives. But there is an amazing desire in that country to press on and press ahead and there appears to be a reasonable environment of stability at the moment,” he added.
January 12th marked the third anniversary of the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked Haiti killing over 300,000 people, about the same number injured and an estimated one million made homeless.
Haiti which accounts for approximately 60 per cent of the estimated 40 million people of CARICOM acquired provisional membership of the Community back in 1997.
Haiti’s official membership of CARICOM was established in 2006 coinciding with the inauguration of arrangements for achieving the central objective of serious regional economy via the CSME mechanism hopefully by 2015.
