Above: Haiti PM Laurent Lamothe at a hospital groundbreaking in Vernet (Photo: OPM Haiti)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe led the Fifth Council of Government this week in Les Cayes, the latest in what is expected to be a series of cabinet meetings held outside of the capital of Port-au-Prince.

The focus of the meeting, which was held at the Les Cayes Administrative Complex, was the economy, with a combination of ministries, including Agriculture and Public Works, vowing to create 77,000 jobs over the next sixth months in the country.

“I want all projects to give significant results for the people, who deserve socioeconomic well-being,” Lamothe said.

The PM announced a series of other initiatives at the meeting: a planned reform of the Banque Populaire Haitienne that would transform it into an institution capable of funding “initiatives for the population”; a group of 15 contracts financed to the tune of $5 million by Mexican cooperation in several Haitian municipalities; a $3.5 million urban redevelopment plan in the city of Les Cayes and a southern healthcare initiative in the amount of $3.38 million, among others.

Earlier on his visit, the PM, joined by Taiwanese Ambassador to Haiti Liu Bang-Zyh, officially launched the construction of 50-bed hospital in the town of Vernet.