Ouanaminthe

 Climate: From the agro-ecological point of view, the commune of Ouanaminthe is located in the wetlands, with an average rainfall of 1800 mm. Its average temperature is between 26 ° and 28 ° C and its wettest months are from July to December.Natural resources

The grounds. In valleys such as Savane-au-Lait and Savane Long, we find soils from the decomposition of quartziferous diorites which give them a clear hue and sandy texture. On the other hand, in mountain areas like Gens-de-Nantes, soils are of volcanic origin, usually shallow but still productive. In the plain of Maribaroux, they are Colluvial, with a frank texture and good agricultural potential.

Economy: Ouanaminthe has a diversified economy focused primarily within two pillars: international trade and services. These sectors are mainly dominated by trade in goods and services with the Dominican Republic, which is particularly active on Mondays and Fridays, the market days in the city of Dajabón. The result is an ever-increasing flow of merchandise and merchants from neighboring areas or other departments of the country. This influx of temporary visitors creates an additional pressure on the meager services and amenities of the city. Data provided by the customs director of Ouanaminthe show the importance of trade in the area. They inform that on average, more than 40,000 bags of cement, 1,000 tons of iron, and two to three containers of spaghetti leave the neighboring peninsula every month and pass through Ouanaminthe. Other materials (plumbing for example), are evaluated to a container every four months. Products supplying the informal sector (paper plates, vegetables and fruits, cereals, bananas, citrus fruits, etc.) are intensively transported at the rate of fifteen to twenty trucks per month. In addition, five shops and warehouses, owned by Dominicans, are already installed in the center of the city. The services offered are as numerous as they are diverse and are dispensed in hairdressing salons, a beauty studio, hotels and motels, restaurants, laundries, etc., which tend to multiply.

For economic and financial infrastructures, the commune of Ouanaminthe has a credit union and a marketing cooperative center.

The commercial and economic establishments of the municipality range from construction materials companies and dozens of food supply centers to pharmacies and photocopy shops. Also, other small informal activities located everywhere, especially near the border, include the public market and the roadside where the merchants of food, the polishers of shoes, forex dealers, and taxi-motorcycle drivers (estimated at more than 600) evolve.

The industrial sector is also present with two ice plants and drinking water production plants, processing units (corn mills, peanut mills, rice mills, bakeries (over twenty), and a dry cleaning company. In August 2003, a free zone was set up near the border, where the trousers factory operates Levi’s. This company employs 550 employees at a rate of 432 gourdes for a 48-hour week. The production has already reached about 20,000 jeans, although the factory operates only at less than 5% of its capacity. It plans to increase its staff to 10,000 men / day and diversify its products.

One of the major handicaps of the industrial sector remains the adaptation to the proposed technology, and especially acceptance by the population of the new assignment of this part of the plain because the plant was erected in an area with high agricultural potential. Nevertheless, its installation may appear also as a development to the region.

Agriculture: Agriculture. In addition to trade and services, beekeeping helps to support farmers in Ouanaminthe, as well as agriculture with groundnuts and maize as main crops.

Although the production of honey has decreased a lot in the commune, it is much ahead of Ferrier and Fort-Liberté. Beekeepers report that Ouanaminthe once exported honey to France, the United States and Germany, at the initiative of the Oblate Fathers who supported this activity.

Unfortunately, beekeepers could not meet the required quotas or maintain the quality label required by local exporters.

Peanut production is concentrated mainly in the communal sections of Savane Long, Savanna-au-Lait, and neighboring Capotille. According to the estimates of the Director of the Office Agricole Communale (BAC), the yield per hectare is around 0.83 metric ton. Based on average planted area per operator (0.5 Cx) and the total number of farmers (116), the total area covered by groundnuts therefore 58 Cx or 75.4 ha. These estimates indicate a production level of 63 tonnes of groundnuts at the cost of 45,760 gourdes per ton.

The cultivation of corn is also a source of income for the planters of the communal sections of Ouanaminthe. But the installation of the free zone has considerably reduced the space occupied by this culture. Nevertheless, the development possibilities of the plain of Maribaroux still exist despite the free zone, as it is still possible to irrigate it from several outlets on the Massacre river.

Transportation: The road network is in poor condition, not the subject of any sustainable intervention. The internal roads are impassable and, as a result, the production areas remain difficult to access. Routing goods, drugs, school supplies, and agricultural products becomes problematic, as well as access to goods and services. Also, the restoration of the road network can be considered as a priority for the entire municipality, especially for its communal sections.

Education: The city of Ouanaminthe has more than fifty schools, of which 32% attend secondary school. In addition, the municipality has two vocational schools. A law school also works in this city. The level of teacher training is low, especially in the communal sections where there are 27 primary schools. School buildings are generally old and dilapidated; it even happens that some teachers take shelter under simple arbours to deliver their classes. The Ministry of National Education of Youth and Sports is represented in the municipality by a school inspection office.

Health: Ouanaminthe is the medical hub of Northeastern Haiti, hosting numerous private clinics belonging to Haitian or Dominican practitioners whose outpatient doctors provide oral care to patients from the region. The city’s top hospital is a medical center with beds, similar to a hospital: the CMSO (Medico-Social Center of Ouanaminthe). Pre and postnatal care are provided with family planning and epidemiological surveillance. The service hospitalization of the CMSO concerns the main sections: Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Maternity and surgery. Univers Medical Center is the only trauma center in the region. The Ministry of Public Health and Population is not represented in the town of Ouanaminthe. A sizeable team of doctors, nurses, auxiliaries, certified matrons and two laboratory technicians train the technical staff of the three health establishments inventoried in the commune.

Utilities: In terms of water availability, the town has eight rivers, a lagoon and public fountains with nearly two dozen pumps. The drinking water supply system in the city is failing. It does not serve the majority, often only a tiny portion of the population. A large fraction consumes well water and rivers of dubious quality, which causes enormous damage to health.

In Savane Long, Gens-de-Nantes and Savane-au-Lait, there are some hand pumps. But they are insufficient in relation to the rate of growth of the population, and to gain access, it is often necessary to travel dozens of kilometers.

Drainage system and tailings management: They are two major problems for the city of Ouanaminthe. The few open canals along the Spanish street are obstructed by sediments or household waste (paper plates, cutlery, plastic bags and bottles, etc.). The result is the flooding of the city at the slightest downpour and the muddling of cities built in its periphery.

The tailings management represents in Ouanaminthe a real headache for the road. This service can very difficult to do with only seven wheelbarrows and nine employees pickup. Also, in addition to the drainage canals, the public market, the bed of the Petite Rivière, the land empties and old vehicle carcasses are converted into dump sites by local residents. Stagnation of these detritus makes the environment quite unhealthy.

At the time of the survey, Only the city of Ouanaminthe was electrified at a feeding frequency of 35 hours on average per week. Electric energy is almost non-existent. In principle, it would come back to the Electricity of Haiti (EDH) to provide it. The city of Ouanaminthe has two generating sets running at 10% of their capacity. According to the information gathered, the city has practically no electrical energy, which is a major handicap for all economic players and one priority to be solved. Banks, hotels and some private individuals bypass the difficulty by obtaining generators or “inverters”.