Above: Mass in Cotes de Fer (Photo: OP)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haitian President Michel Martelly is continuing his bid to support the country’s outer regions and decentralize Haiti’s government.

The country remains without a formal government, however, with Laurent Lamothe its still-unconfirmed Prime Minister Designate.

Martelly continued his push in the city of Cotes de Fer, where he celebrated the festival honouring St Joseph this weekend, distributing motorcycles to promote transport for small businesses and observing the donation of 15 internet-connected computers to the area’s National School.

The computers were provided by the Ministry of Interior.

“Decentralization must be effective everywhere,” said Martelly, who plans to work to restructure the tourism infrastructure in the Southeast.

Martelly, who was joined on the visit by his wife, Sophia, the President of the Supreme Court and several Senators, said the country needed to create a government that could account for all kinds of needs of Haitians — and provide what he called “real development.”

Martelly, who distributed work to local farmers during the visit, said he believed in boosting the market and agro-industry in the region, and pledged to promote technical training and the provision of agricultural credit.

The Cotes de Fer region has been helped of late by a project from a group called Water For Life, which has been working to irrigate fields in the region.

In the communal area of Flamand, near the entrance to Cotes de Fer, a series of water projects have helped irrigate 300 acres of land, along with several hectares of banana plantations.

Martelly’s stop to Cotes de Fer followed his visit to several other outer cities, including Jean-Rabel and Jacmel.