Haiti: Customs Reaches 99% of its 2024 Targets, a Fragile Success Amid Economic Challenges, Revenue Records, and Security Porosity

Haiti's General Customs Administration (AGD) achieved a historic performance in 2024 by reaching 99% of its revenue targets. With 103.6 billion gourdes collected out of the 104.1 billion planned, Haitian customs proves its efficiency despite an economic environment marked by inflation, insecurity, and a GDP contraction.

However, behind these flattering figures, a darker reality persists: armed groups continue to receive shipments of ammunition unimpeded, ports remain critical points for smuggling, and customs struggles to curb capital flight and tax evasion. Clearly, while Haitian customs boasts of its financial performance, it still fails in its mission to secure the national territory.

It is undeniable that Haitian customs has managed to maximize its collection capabilities despite a disastrous economic context. The AGD attributes this performance to:

• Increased digitalization of customs procedures.

• Enhanced controls on certain imports.

• Improved coordination between fiscal and customs institutions.

However, these elements are not enough to explain how the AGD could collect so much money while national economic activity is in freefall. In 2024, Haiti recorded a recession of 4.2%, a drastic decrease in household consumption, and a 16.2% contraction in imports. The paradox is striking: while the state boasts of achieving its fiscal objectives, Haitian businesses are closing, unemployment is soaring, and poverty is worsening.

Is this economic prowess a reflection of a real improvement in the customs system, or is it merely a smokescreen masking the state's total failure to regain control of its ports, borders, and sovereignty? In 2025, Haiti risks paying a heavy price for these structural dysfunctions, caught between the worsening security crisis and the collapse of the formal sector.