Above: Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe at the conference (Photo: OPM Haiti)
By the Caribbean Journal staff
Haiti held its first-ever mining forum on Monday at the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince.
The forum was organized by Haiti’s Council for Economic and Social Development, a body which was launched by Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe in the summer of 2012.
In 2012, Haiti awarded mining permits for gold and copper to Haiti’s Société Minière du Nord-Est, which is a partner of Canada’s Majescor. Another firm, US-based VCS Mining, also has a permit.
VCS is mining for gold in partnership with its Haitian subsidiary, Delta Société Minière.
In Haiti, mining exploration permits are valid for five years, with an additional 25 years of renewability.
The conference concludes Tuesday.