The image of Haiti improved significantly among investors who attended a recent trade mission to Haiti led by former President Bill Clinton, according to a survey of participants by the Inter-American Development Bank.

``The percentage of participants that had a good image of Haiti went from 29 percent to 44 percent,'' based on results of the informal survey. The survey also noted an overall 97 percent improvement in the country's image among investors who were asked to list their perception before and after, from among ``very bad, bad, neutral, good, excellent.''

The survey was taken to assist the IDB and the United Nations in their efforts to promote investments and increase jobs in Haiti.

At least 200 of the 600 investors who participated in a day of seminars, match-making meetings and site visits in Haiti on Thursday were foreign investors, with almost half representing the garment sector. Latin American nations led the group, with Brazil alone represented by a dozen business people from the South American nation's largest textile association.

Meanwhile, U.S. heavyweights Gap and Levi Strauss also sent representatives.

``Gap sees the potential. We are interested to grow and our growth is going to come from what our suppliers developed,'' Mark D'Sa, a senior director of production for Gap Inc. D'Sa said Gap Inc. currently works with two suppliers in Haiti.

Clinton, now U.N. special envoy for Haiti, championed Haiti's potential throughout the mission and urged investors to fill out the survey to assist organizers in finding out how they can better serve them in moving forward with investment opportunities.

Seventy-four percent of the participants said they had an investment project in Haiti in mind, and preferred a joint venture with projects $5 million and more.

As far as a major obstacle to investment, 96 percent of those surveyed listed infrastructure -- lack of stable electricity and roads -- in comparison to 48 percent who listed security concerns.

During the mission, both foreign diplomats and Haiti's private sector called on the Haitian government to play a more active role in addressing infrastructure problems and legal issues to assist the country in fully taking advantage of the investment potential.

``It is essential that Haiti's political class work in tandem in the spirit of compromise and with the nation's best interest at heart to smooth over the inefficiencies and bureaucratic hurdles, which can limit investments and job creation,'' Canada's ambassador to Haiti, Gilles Rivard, said.

Rivard's comments come as another survey, partly funded by the World Bank, says deficiencies in a one-stop investment center, known at the Center to Facilitate Investment, should be addressed to better promote investments. The unit was set up by the Haitian government three years ago as a ``one-stop'' center to help investors.

The report questions CFI's ability ``to react effectively to investment opportunities and capture investment'' and says it needs to work on handling business inquiries in a more efficient and business-like manner, and employees need to do better at following up with investors' inquiries.

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