Cap-Haïtien: Where Are the Results of the Millions Invested by the IDB, the World Bank, and the European Union in Northern Haiti?

Over the years, northern Haiti has emerged as a laboratory for international development. As early as the 2000s, initial programs focused on water supply and sanitation—supported by international donors—laid the foundations for a system heavily dependent on external aid and weakened by limited institutional capacity.

The roots of this dependency predate the 2010 earthquake. The reference document “Drinking Water and Sanitation in Haiti” already highlighted that the sector relied extensively on external funding, while national institutions remained fragile and governance mechanisms limited. This longstanding diagnosis sheds light on current challenges.

Following the 2010 earthquake, the North was repositioned as a strategic development axis. Historical analyses demonstrate how Cap-Haïtien gradually became an alternative pole to Port-au-Prince. Tourism-oriented projects centered on the Citadelle and the Sans-Souci Palace, along with the establishment of the Limonade university campus, reflected this ambition.

In September 2018, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) launched several major programs. The document “IDB to Invest US$33.5 Million to Improve Solid Waste Management in Haiti” directly targeted the North.

“More than 23,000 households in the Northern Department will benefit from improved environmental and sanitary conditions through a solid waste management and disposal program.”

Today, however, northern Haiti appears saturated with projects yet overwhelmed by waste—an open-air failure. The funding was intended to equip Cap-Haïtien, Quartier Morin, and Limonade with a modern waste management system, including a treatment center in Mouchinette capable of processing 130,000 tons annually. Yet, construction has stalled, promised equipment remains unseen, and streets are overrun with garbage. In response to this failure, the organization Écovert-Haïti called for accountability in 2022: where did the funds go, and why did such a strategic project fail?

Implemented on December 10, 2019, for a five-year period, a US$38 million energy project—financed by the IDB and USAID and executed by the Technical Execution Unit (UTE)—aims to support the Caracol Industrial Park. The project includes the installation of 8 MWp and 4 MWp photovoltaic solar plants, along with battery storage systems to stabilize supply and reduce electricity costs. It forms part of the broader “Access to Electricity Improvement Program” (AMACEH), co-financed under grant agreements No. 4900/GR-HA and No. GRT/CF-17708-HA, which seeks to expand electricity access nationwide while strengthening regulatory institutions such as ANARSE.

The year 2020 marked a turning point with the World Bank’s approval of the Cap-Haïtien Urban Development Project, valued at US$56 million. According to the official statement, the project aims to improve infrastructure, drainage systems, and urban resilience.

“Cap-Haïtien, the country’s second-largest commercial center, has the potential to become a growth hub in the North, but faces significant challenges that limit its development and reduce the quality of life of its citizens,” stated Anabela Abreu, World Bank Country Director for Haiti.

Between January 2022 and November 2025, a total of CAD 9,912,100—mobilized with World Bank support through the Haitian government—was allocated to the CHUD project in Cap-Haïtien, benefiting nearly 249,000 people. Implemented with the support of CECI, the project focused on stakeholder mobilization, municipal addressing systems, quick-impact investments such as public space improvements and market rehabilitation, and feasibility studies for major infrastructure projects, including 5 km of concrete roads, a pier, and beach rehabilitation.

According to CECI, over CAD 8.6 million was invested directly in infrastructure.

Between July 2025 and May 2026, the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communications (MTPTC), with World Bank financing, is implementing the Urban Transport and Connectivity Project (RUTAP). Civil engineering contracts amount to US$2.7 million for Lot 1 and US$1.56 million for Lot 2. Officially launched on January 29, 2026, the project targets key corridors in Cap-Haïtien, including Blue Hills–Fort Saint-Michel and Rue La Paix.

The Tourism and Heritage Project (PAST), funded with US$21 million under grant agreement H-944HT, has been underway since 2014. Implemented by the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s Technical Execution Unit in collaboration with ISPAN, it covers Cap-Haïtien, Milot, and Dondon. Works have focused on the historic center and the National Historical Park, including the Citadelle and Sans-Souci Palace.

Additional initiatives, such as the “Heritage Preservation and Tourism Support Project,” complement this framework.

The European Union, for its part, supports governance and security programs. A €3 million program launched in March 2024 targets port and airport security in Cap-Haïtien, strengthening the Haitian National Police, combating arms trafficking, and improving border control.

This initiative covers nine strategic points: two airports (Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien), three ports (APN, Lafiteau, Cap-Haïtien), and four border crossings (Ouanaminthe, Belladère, Malpasse, Anse-à-Pitre).

On November 25, 2025, the EU also launched two programs totaling €59 million in Fort-Liberté under the DTINE framework, aimed at strengthening territorial governance and education.

On paper, these projects outline an ambitious strategy. On the ground, investigations conducted by Le Quotidien 509 reveal a fragmented reality. Numerous water supply projects have been abandoned or halted entirely. Drilling operations have been interrupted, pipelines left incomplete, and roads opened and abandoned.

According to corroborated information, these disruptions are linked to dysfunctions within DINEPA, which has been unable to provide financial reports required by donors, leading to funding freezes—particularly from the IDB.

In neighborhoods such as Fort Saint-Michel, Rue Christophe, and Conassa, the consequences are immediate. Access to water is irregular or nonexistent. Residents resort to costly alternatives, with the price of a bucket of water reaching 25 gourdes. Roads damaged by unfinished works turn into dust or mud zones.

In May 2025, IDB President Ilan Goldfajn announced an increase in funding for the Justinien University Hospital—from US$85 million to US$100 million—as well as a revised US$125 million program for water, sanitation, and hygiene. This initiative is part of a broader US$670 million investment plan for the Greater North over five years.

Throughout this investigation, a consistent pattern emerges: uncontrolled urbanization, driven by internal displacement, is placing increasing pressure on already fragile infrastructure. Local institutions struggle to respond. Donor interventions lack coordination. Above all, the absence of maintenance turns investments into temporary solutions.

Beyond visible infrastructure failures lies a deeper crisis. The absence of a functional sanitation system exposes populations to direct contact with wastewater. In many areas, septic systems overflow or are nonexistent. Fecal sludge management—rarely addressed publicly—has become a major public health issue.

The consequences are immediate: the spread of diseases, skin and digestive infections, and increased epidemic risks. This chronic unsanitary environment acts as a slow poison, degrading living conditions and public health.

Compounding this crisis is a severe energy deficit. Large parts of Cap-Haïtien remain in darkness due to an unstable electrical grid. The lack of public lighting exacerbates insecurity and limits economic activity.

Yet, despite this fragile context, Cap-Haïtien is increasingly promoted as a strategic investment hub and an emerging destination for international flows. This projection sharply contrasts with the lived reality of its population.

This is the central paradox. Northern Haiti is not merely facing an infrastructure crisis; it embodies a fundamental contradiction: a territory presented as a showcase of development, yet marked by the silent collapse of essential services.

Without deep governance reforms, effective coordination among donors, and strengthened institutions such as DINEPA, investments risk continuing to yield limited results.

In northern Haiti, millions continue to flow. For the population, however, the crisis remains a daily reality.

Brigitte Benshow