©️Stéphane Daïley Lubin
Port-au-Prince, 29 August 2025.- The Haitian government launched, this Friday, August 29, at the Hotel Montana, the National Program of revitalisation of the sewing and shoemaking sectors (RSCCH), under the theme: « N ap koud fyète nou, n ap konsome lokal / Let's eat our pride, let's eat local ». Objective: to modernise these sectors, create jobs and strengthen the competitiveness of artisans in an integrated vision of economic development.
Four priority areas
Presenting the pillars of the program, the Director General of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MCI), Panel Paulémont, highlighted four objectives: modernize the trades, facilitate access to finance, promote competitiveness and formalization, and support Haitian creators. « It is an ambitious programme to enhance national know-how », he said.
The director of INFP, Dikel Delvariste, sees this as an essential tool for increasing local production, reducing external dependence and strengthening vocational schools. Special mediator Dithny Joan Raton welcomed an initiative that « revives small businesses and promotes national identity ».
The Minister of Trade and Industry, James Monazard, recalled that sewing, embroidery and shoemaking « carry the imprint of our history » and that their revival is part of a global industrial vision.
For his part, Mr. Axène Joseph, Chief of Staff of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, presented this program as « an act of resistance and national pride ».
The ceremony also honoured several ICM and CMC executives for their contributions. Aligned with the vision of the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), the RSCCH aims to transform sewing and shoemaking into economic engines, mobilizing the entire value chain: designers, artisans, mechanics, accessories and software manufacturers.
W.A.
