On Friday, October 16, 2026, at the Hotel Montana in Pétion-Ville, James Monazard, Minister of Commerce and Industry, launched the "Regional Caravan for the Formalization and Revitalization of Commerce and Entrepreneurship" under the high patronage of the Office of the Prime Minister.

This pilot initiative, scheduled to run from October to November 2026, aims to support the formalization and training of at least 5,000 businesses across the country’s ten geographical departments.

During the launch press conference, Minister Monazard highlighted the importance of this program, which was initiated in response to a noted decline in the level of business formalization in the marketplace. This effort reflects the Ministry’s commitment to bringing its services closer to economic operators—particularly those in the informal sector and in provincial regions, while facilitating their integration into the formal economic system.

Panel Paulémont, Director General of the MCI, emphasized the strengthening of the Ministry’s departmental offices as part of this initiative, stating : "These offices will receive IT equipment designed to improve their operations, streamline the processing of applications, and enhance their capacity to serve entrepreneurs."

In his remarks, Danovald Charles, Director of Legal Affairs, presented statistics on businesses registered by region via the MCI’s digital platform, which was launched at the end of 2024. These data highlight the usage of this tool and the geographical distribution of businesses registered since its inception.

The caravan will specifically facilitate the registration of trade names and the issuance of Professional Identification Cards (CIP), with the goal of simplifying administrative procedures for entrepreneurs and fostering a more structured approach to their business activities. Supported by the Ministry of Planning, this initiative aims to intensify the efforts of the MCI to promote the formalization of businesses, revitalize commerce, and provide support to entrepreneurs throughout the country.

HL/ HaitiLibre