Behind every humanitarian emergency in Haiti in 2020 lay a deeper infrastructure crisis that had been building for decades: roads that could not reliably connect communities, power systems that served only a fraction of the population intermittently, water systems that reached a minority of households, and communications infrastructure that left much of the country poorly connected. The political crisis of 2019-2020 had essentially frozen whatever investment plans existed for infrastructure improvement.
Haiti’s road network, never comprehensive, had deteriorated significantly from years of deferred maintenance. Major inter-departmental highways that were critical for moving agricultural produce, goods, and people between the capital and the provinces were in poor condition, with sections that became impassable during heavy rain. The fuel shortages and security concerns of the protest period had further delayed what routine maintenance was normally performed.
The electricity situation was particularly stark. The state electricity utility, EDH, provided unreliable service to a fraction of the population in urban areas, while most rural communities had no grid connection at all. Businesses and households that could afford it relied on private generators and solar panels; the majority of Haitians lived without reliable electricity. The economic cost of this energy poverty — in lost productivity, spoiled food, and dependence on expensive fuel — was enormous.
Development economists argued that infrastructure investment was not just a development goal but a prerequisite for the private sector growth, agricultural modernization, and improved public services that Haiti needed. Without the physical foundations of a modern economy, no amount of policy reform would be sufficient to put Haiti on a sustainable development path.