Haiti’s President Jovenel  Moïse talking with Kanye West during his visit in Haiti in September.

American rapper Kanye West said on a video podcast Saturday that Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise gave Tortuga Island to him and Shervin Pishevar, an Iranian-American entrepreneur, to build a futuristic city.  

Haiti’s Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe clarified on Monday  that President Moise didn’t hand Tortuga Island over to West. However, West can still implement development projects there, of which there are many being planned, Joseph said.

“The president… cannot cede an island to an individual,” Jouthe told Le Nouvelliste. “There can always be a concession contract with any company that would like to do development projects in the country.” 

West tweeted that his “transformational investment” will provide jobs, support farmers and fishermen and build a new City of the Future. Source

Email me at onz@haitiantimes.com
Onz Chery is a Haiti correspondent for The Haitian Times. Chery started his journalism career as a City College of New York student with The Campus. He later wrote for First Touch, local soccer leagues in New York and Elite Sports New York before joining The Haitian Times in 2019.

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1 Comment

  1. HOW ABOUT AN OPEN INTERNATIONAL BID IN WHICH HAITIAN ENTREPENEURS ARE GIVEN A CLEAR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE.
    RENEWABLE LICENCES OR PERMITS SHOULD BE GRANTED FOR TEN YEARS TOP ONLY AFTER REVISION AND APPROVAL OF HAITIAN AUTHORITIES.
    THAT WOULD BE MORE IN LINE WITH MODERN BUSINESS PRACTICES, FAIR TO THE COUNTRY AND ITS CITIZENS, TRANSPARENT AND WOULD HAVE THE CAPACITY TO WEED OUT BAD ACTORS.

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