Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe, a territory located at the heart of the Antilles island arc, is faced with major economic and social challenges. The fragility of the private sector, which is in particular due to a lack of public procurement, leads to a high unemployment rate. AFD helps local authorities maintain the quality of public services, develop infrastructure and promote economic development.
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Place de la Victoire, Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe
AFD and Guadeloupe: reviving growth and fostering regional integration
Place de la Victoire, Pointe à Pitre, Guadeloupe

Maintaining the capacity of local authorities to invest in the territory

Construction, école, trois rivières Trois Rivières, Guadeloupe, Gentilhomme

Maintaining the capacity of local authorities to invest in the territory

The financial difficulties of municipalities and associations of municipalities are a major barrier to the public investment required to effectively develop the territory, restore the quality of infrastructure and public services and boost the economy. 

In this context, AFD provides local public actors with a mechanism to consolidate their finances using a graduated range of operations, from a simple anticipation of the deterioration of accounts to financial restructuring.

These support and advice services provide local authorities with high-level technical expertise and tools aimed at returning to a sustainable financial path and improving the organization of their services. The objective: restore or maintain the investment capacity of local authorities and ultimately support and strengthen the economic dynamism of Guadeloupe.
 

Improving economic and social infrastructure 

hospital renovation, Guadeloupe, health

Improving economic and social infrastructure 

AFD helps improve network services, whose inefficiency affects the quality of life of people and the attractiveness of the territory: it provides its technical assistance and financing to strengthen basic service provision. AFD offers its expertise to the relevant actors in key areas: water, transport and waste. It also contributes to structuring an efficient drinking water distribution service with the aim of reducing the high rate of network losses, which is a major challenge for the territory.

To address the demographic ageing of Guadeloupe, AFD supports local healthcare provision by financing new facilities or upgrading existing care facilities.

We also work to adapt buildings and networks to the impacts of climate change or rebuild after natural disasters, as in Saint-Martin, which was devastated by a major hurricane in 2017.
 

Promoting economic development

Port, Guadeloupe

Promoting economic development

In coordination with the banking sector, AFD offers loans to private and public companies to support the economic development of the territory. It finances the structuring of sectors, supports the structural investments of companies, including those which are conducive to the creation of high-performance and job-creating tourist facilities, and cooperates in Guadeloupe’s energy transition.

AFD also supports large-scale infrastructure designed for urban development and which also contributes to the economic attractiveness of the territory while preserving its environmental assets.

Contributing to cooperation between Caribbean territories 

Habour, village, Guadeloupe, Gentilhomme

Contributing to cooperation between Caribbean territories 

One of the priorities of the development policy is to help strengthen cooperation between Guadeloupe and its neighboring States. The Guadeloupe agency is an actor in this strategy within AFD’s Atlantic Regional Department. It contributes to giving impetus to regional projects and exchanges that address common challenges (renewable energies, health, adaptation to climate change, etc.).

We participate in committees that promote multilateral actions, we offer networking for private actors thanks to our presence in several Caribbean States and contribute to the internationalization of French expertise thanks to specific funds.
 

Supporting environmental initiatives 

Solar pannels, street lights, Nord Grande-Terre, Port Louis, Guadeloupe, Gentilhomme

Supporting environmental initiatives 

AFD offers its support to actors in the energy transition, in terms of both expertise and financing, to efficiently exploit Guadeloupe’s exceptional natural energy potential (geothermal, water resources, biomass, sunshine, wind), which currently only accounts for 20% of power generation.

We contribute to Guadeloupe’s objective of energy self-sufficiency by 2030 by financing new renewable energy equipment, promoting equity investments in project companies by local public actors and financing technical studies putting in perspective the territory’s resources and future challenges in terms of energy consumption.

As Guadeloupe is a land of endemism and one of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots, AFD supports public and private initiatives for environmental conservation through financing and partnerships. 
 

1.1bn
euros committed for the period 2008-2018
2/3
of municipalities supported for the consolidation of their finances
50%
of annual commitments focused on environmental conservation

Guadeloupe is an overseas département and region, bordered by the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, and located 6700 kilometers from metropolitan France. It has more than 400,000 inhabitants. 

Following strong growth during the 1990s, the island experienced an economic slowdown, mainly linked to the financial crisis of 2009. Boosted by tourism, household consumption and trade, 2015 saw the start of an economic recovery. 

But Guadeloupe still faces economic, environmental and social challenges, such as a lack of infrastructure, an aging population, fragile social cohesion and a private sector that is struggling to get off the ground.
 
AFD, a long-standing partner for 70 years, mainly works to assist local authorities in maintaining the quality of public services and developing the territory and economic dynamism. It is also active in financing the energy transition and consolidating private investments that have a major knock-on effect on employment.

AFD's Guadeloupe office is directly attached to the Atlantic Ocean regional office in Fort-de-France.

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