Port-au-Prince, October 3, 2025.- The expiry of the Hope/Help law, on September 30, directly threatens 20,000 jobs in the already fragile Haitian textile sector. Industrial Georges Sassine, former president of the Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH), calls for continued mobilization until December 19, the final political window to hope to save a vital industry for the national economy and social stability.
An area already on its knees
« The law expired at midnight on 30 September. »confirmed Georges Sassine on Magik9. Despite the steps taken since the administration of the late Jovenel Moïse, the textile industry, which employed 27,000 people, now operates at only 20% or 50% of its capacity. Caracol has increased from 12,000 workers to 2,600, while Port-au-Prince has more than 7,000.
Mills close, reduce contracts and investments financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United States are likely to become « White elephants ». Only the Korean company Codevie partially maintains its business, but the majority of its plants remain inactive.
Washington holds the key
In the U.S. Congress, no opposition to renewal was observed, but the decision depends on the White House, aligned with Donald Trump's trade policy. Former Senator Marco Rubio, a former advocate of the program, could intervene. But, says Sassine, « US policy is now unpredictable and Haiti remains marginal in Washington priorities ».
Beyond the economy, Haiti's stability is at stake. « If the UN guarantees us security today, the absence of work tomorrow will push us back into gangs », warn Sassine. The Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, also called for the renewal of the programme, believing that more than one million families depended on these jobs.
W.A.
