BELTRAIDE, I.D.B., boost investment opportunities
It’s called the Technical Assistance for Capacity Building for Trade and Investment Promotion Project…but don’t let the long name fool you…there’s a very simple objective behind all that jargon. A joint venture between the Government of Belize, via BELTRAIDE and the Inter-American Development Bank, what this initiative aims to do is develop already established Belizean exports, and identify and cultivate new areas with plenty of potential. According to project manager David Gomez, the plan is to act now to ensure the sustainability of Belizean exports in the future.
David Gomez, Project Manager, BELTRAIDE
“We have a wealth of different sectors that we can work with. Traditionally, people have always thoughts in terms of producing and exporting Belizean goods. But I think the Belizean economy is ripe for a services type economy, so we can move towards a hybrid. There are several areas that we are already very engaged for services, accounting, engineering services, education, where now information and communication technology is a fast and growing area. There’s a whole slew of others, tourism is a big one for us, but we still haven’t looked at the full gamut of what we could do as an economy. I think what we are trying to do within this project is to help to identify those areas that would help to move Belize along the development path that has been strategically set out for us.”
Janelle Chanona
“As far as local support, do you see people becoming willing participants in this new line of entrepreneurship, or are they still afraid of taking that financial risks?”
David Gomez
“I think more and more as you look around Belize you see young, energetic, willing entrepreneurial people getting involved. And I think that is certainly the trajectory for Belize. What we are doing is we’re making sure that we create the type of environment and or the supportive framework, so that those people are able to succeed in their initiatives.”
Eamon Courtenay, Min. of Investment and Foreign Trade
“As the new trading regime unfolds, characterised by liberalisation and globalisation, the challenges faced by our local industries multiply and force them to become more efficient and competitive. We at BELTRAIDE are reviewing our programme of activities in order to ensure that we offer those services that will best assist our entrepreneurs to meet the challenges which loom. This project will allow us to build on those services by developing export and investment plans that focus critically on those products, sectors and industries, as well as international markets with the most promise for yielding the best economic benefits. We plan to make Belizean businesses stronger and competitive, and thereby make the Belizean economy stronger and more competitive.”
The project has a financial pool of seven hundred thousand U.S. dollars, which it will use to promote Belizean exports. We understand that within the next month, one of the first products of the project will be increased information and commercial capabilities on BELTRAIDE’s website. The address is www.belizeinvest.org.bz.
