Above: a waterfall in Haiti (Photo: MT Haiti)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti and the Inter-American Development Bank have agreed to step up the pace of collaborations on several projects in the country.

The plans focuses on six areas: agriculture, education, energy, transport, water. sanitation and private sector development.

The agreements were reached following talks last week with Haiti’s executive branch.

The IDB is currently financing $1.4 billion in projects in Haiti, including $280 million in co-financing from other donors to the country.

Part of the acceleration will come from improving Haiti’s government’s capacity to plan, execute and supervise projects, the IDB said, along with strengthening the government’s operation and maintenance of public services.

On the energy front, the acceleration will focus on the construction of a new substation and the upgrading of distribution networks in Haiti’s capital.

The IDB has reportedly disbursed $407 million in Haiti since 2010, with a total approval of $546 million in new grants.

The bank, Haiti’s single-largest multilateral donor, has committed to providing the country with $200 million annually in new grants through the year 2020.