PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti – A U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) delegation recently completed a visit to Haiti during which U.S. Ambassador Kenneth H. Merten signed a grant agreement worth more than $800,000 with Lionel Isaac, Director General of the Autorité Aéroportuaire Nationale (AAN).
This U.S. Trade and Development Agency USTDA-funded grant will finance technical assistance for seven priority airport infrastructure modernization projects at Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport, Haiti’s largest, and the gateway for most of the international air freight and travelers arriving in Haiti each year.
Technical assistance under this grant will assist the AAN in the development of preliminary engineering designs, project budgets, and execution timelines for the seven projects, which require prompt implementation to promote the safety and efficiency of airport operations. The seven projects, for which the grant’s technical assistance will prepare, are the construction of a parallel taxiway, airport security implementation, construction of a new air traffic control tower, construction of a new power generation facility, construction of a sewage and wastewater treatment plant, rehabilitation of the airport’s external and internal road network, and construction of a new international terminal building.
Ambassador Merten said, “This grant represents how the United States is investing in Haiti’s infrastructure, to help it build back better. Toussaint L’Ouverture Airport is Haiti’s gateway to the world, and safety and efficiency improvements will help stimulate economic growth and increase prosperity.”
The AAN has been a grantee in two previous USTDA-sponsored projects, including the 2005 Port-au-Prince International Airport Modernization Technical Assistance Project, as well as the airport’s Security Training Project. As the grantee, the AAN will select the U.S. contractor to carry out the projects through a competitive procurement process to be published online via Federal Business Opportunities (www.fbo.gov).
During their three-day visit, the USTDA representatives met with members of the public and private sectors to conduct due diligence for future potential project investments by USTDA in Haiti. The USTDA team identified possible opportunities in the energy and infrastructure sectors, including information and communications technology, aviation, water, public works, seaport, and seismic monitoring projects.
