By Duncan Bannatyne, an entrepreneur, Dragons’ Den panellist and Unicef UK ambassador (THE TIMES, 26/01/10):

The horrific pictures on our television screens since the earthquake struck Haiti to its core have struck a chord with us all. They also touched those in the harder, usually more impervious world of business. Companies not only have the cold hard cash that Haiti needs, but also the skills and expertise that are required to build back the country’s infrastructure from ground zero.

Those quickest off the mark have already made a vital contribution to the relief effort. Unicef UK has received invaluable pledges of support from companies such as Orange, Dell and H&M. Orange, for instance, texted more than six million of its customers to encourage them to donate £2.50 to the emergency fund. Airlines have offered cargo space for supplies; and Google Earth’s satellite, Geoeye, has made its imagery available to relief workers.

The imaginative and immediate response from UK businesses serves as a good model of what business can do in the aftermath of humanitarian crises. And for those who are still thinking of how they can help, I challenge all boardrooms, from the retail sector, world of sport, hospitality, tourism and media groups to those working in the City, to open both their wallets and imaginations.

But responsibility should not stop there. In the longer term, Haiti must rebuild itself to become stronger and more resilient — and British business can help make this a reality.

After the tsunami of 2005, in five short years, Banda Aceh was rebuilt to be stronger than the city that existed before. While the rest of the world was going through an economic crisis, Banda Aceh’s economy was growing, employment rising and businesses thriving.

The slogan “Build Back Better” was placed at the heart of medium and long-term reconstruction work. The slogan became a reality with local and international construction companies working hand-in-hand to put the region back together.

In the same way, construction companies can create jobs in Haiti by hiring local workers. It gives them the money and spurs economic activity. International companies can also help Haitians to stand on their own feet by teaching new skills and transferring knowledge. The UN will take the lead in providing food for work, but there is a role for UK companies to help in every sphere of business activity: construction, electrical, road building and IT, among others.

But what of Haitians them- selves and their own entrepren- eurial flair? In a country where the majority of the population lived on less than $2 a day even before the earthquake struck, encouraging and investing in grassroots business ideas is an important way to kickstart the local economy.

Take the lack of clean water, for example. After a disaster on this scale supplies are hard to come by and Unicef has been leading the efforts to provide water to the thousands in Haiti that need it. So how to catch and store rainwater would be one innovative, grassroots business idea that I would invest in if featured in Dragons’ Den.

Developing employment opportunities for local women has proved a great success across many developing countries in advancing the lot of families and could be replicated in Haiti. During a visit to Ethiopia last year I met an inspiring group of women who had set up their own microfinance system. Each woman contributes half a dollar to the business pot and when one member has a good business idea, however small, she would take the money to develop it. Any profit that they made would then be reinvested to enable another woman to take up the mantle.

I presented one of these women with the Ethiopian Entrepreneur of the Year Award. She had built up a huge vegetable patch in her garden, covering every inch of the ground. Not only did she make a tidy profit but she also stimulated local employment by hiring three local men to dig up the goods and sell them at the local market.

With a small amount of investment, such a system could work well in Haiti, where the need for basic goods such as food, textiles and clothes is vital. Being able to develop and grow these locally rather than rely on exports would benefit the long-term growth of the country.

The port can also offer local entrepreneurs with a vital economic lifeline. Although it has suffered near complete destruction, fishing used to be a vital part of the local economy. A business venture to build fishing boats would not only invest in developing the construction skills of the local population, but would provide vital food supplies and support the local economy.

Yesterday the official death toll showed that more than 112,000 have lost their lives in Haiti. But when the eyes of the world turn away, Unicef, and many other aid agencies, will be picking up the pieces for many years to come. The business world too must not forget its responsibility.