Two-day workshop seeks to improve municipal governance
Mike Hernandez
Do you want good governance and improvement in the way officials and their departments handle their relationship with the public? Most people are crying out for this and question the quality of service offered by government. A two-day workshop being held at the Radisson and sponsored by the Social Investment Fund intends to make sure that all municipalities improve their service. According to Mike Hernandez Jr., the Director of Public Relations at SIF, the Belize Municipal Development Project intends to improve municipal service delivery across the entire country.
Mike Hernandez Jr., Director of Public Relations, SIF
“The workshop basically is looking at good governance and the effective public service delivery. In reality the workshop though it is in preparation of the Belize Municipal Development Project.”
Jose Sanchez
“Mr. Gongora what were you able to get out of this workshop so far? How is it going to affect you?”
Aaron Gongora, Dangriga Town Mayor
Aaron Gongora
“It’s going to hopefully improve service delivery in my community and having proper infrastructural and social repair to our community; to our Dangriga Town residence.”
Jose Sanchez
“What areas do you expect to be able to improve upon when you return to Dangriga?”
Aaron Gongora
“Well, you we start first in house, meaning our Town Council staff and people who have direct impacts on the community. So that’s where we start and then we extend outwards to our community members.”
Mike Hernandez Jr., Director of Public Relations, SIF
“The project is actually going to focus on seven municipalities countrywide. So therefore, by mutual agreement, there has to be a level of public consultations as part of the project and the reason for that being because the project actually has a very strong community participation element. Basically, what the project is going to focus on; it’s going to focus on infrastructure, improving streets and drains. It’s going to focus on institutional strengthening, capacity building, the issue again of good governance, the issue of land use as well as project management. So these are all key components of the municipal development project.”
The workshop is conducted by Carmen Barrow. The BMDP is funded by the Government of Belize through a thirty million dollars loan from the World Bank and is being implemented by the Social Investment Fund.
