In another set of statistics, a recent study indicates that while the incidence of poverty in Belize remains unacceptably high, some progress is being made. The 2002 measurement survey on living standards indicates that ten point eight percent of the population is very poor or indigent, while thirty-three point five percent are merely poor. The […]
It’s no secret that the Development Finance Corporation is not enjoying the best of health. Having quadrupled the size of its portfolio during the previous P.U.P. term of office, the government-owned lending institution is suffering from chronic indigestion caused by questionable loans too freely given. Having recently announced its intention to downsize and clean up […]
Belizeans often visit the Expofer in Chetumal, but this year they are being invited to participate in it as well. BELTRAIDE is calling on Belizean producers, manufacturers and exporters to join them in promoting Belize to the Mexican market. A Belize booth will be open daily from six p.m. until midnight. The effort is also […]
It’s a global organization but its decisions have direct impact on even the smallest communities in the most remote corners of the world. But the average citizen–and this includes most Belizeans–doesn’t give much thought to the movements of the World Trade Organization. But we should. At the last W.T.O. ministerial meeting in Cancun earlier this […]
There is good news tonight for Belizean fishermen and seafood farmers, as the European Union has now fully opened its doors to our fisheries exports. The decision to elevate Belize to List One status means that as of the end of October we can export fisheries products to any and all of the fifteen members […]
It’s a People’s United Party innovation that is part report card, part cheerleading session and part social event for local and visiting dignitaries. And while no state of the nation address could ever be mistaken for confession, the one delivered in Belmopan this morning had some candour mixed in with the usual dose of optimism. […]
With most of the region’s economies still limping along in the aftermath of 9-11 and the ensuing global recession, representatives of Caribbean governments were today given more bad news. They were informed that even modest growth rates could be cut to zero by the skyrocketing demands of health care and lost productivity caused by the […]
It was one of those typically Belizean controversies that provided hot copy for a week or so and then seemed to simply vanish into thin air. What I’m talking about is the issue of tenders for cruise ships. Today that issue resurfaced as Cabinet approved development concessions for two companies to bring in new boats […]
But as the Belize Hotel Association gets its residential act together, they’ve still got an old beef with cruise tourism, particularly as two big deals are in the works that would open Belize to over a million cruise visitors a year. As these of one-day tourists hit the city streets and rural destinations, the B.H.A. […]
The merger took place almost a year ago, but it was only this weekend that Barclays Bank in Belize made the visual transition to FirstCaribbean International. In a ceremony held Sunday afternoon officials from the bank as well as Prime Minister Said Musa described what the bank’s new face means to the region. Julian Murillo, […]
With no shortage of things to do this weekend organizers everywhere are pitching hard for a crowd. But the men and women behind this year’s Expo Belize aren’t worried. According to officials of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, they’ve got a hundred and ten booths set up, albeit in various stages this afternoon, […]
For those optimistic souls who thought the overthrow of Saddam Hussein would mean a drop in the price of petroleum, we have some bad news. Gas gawn up again. A government release indicates that due to the increase in landed acquisition costs, effective at midnight the new price of premium gasoline is seven-fifty-six per gallon, […]
It was always considered the most troubled of the three major public utilities and was the last to be sold to private interests. But while Belize Water Services Limited still has a long way to go, its numbers are at least beginning to improve. At the company’s annual general meeting tonight B.W.S. will report a […]
Well it’s official…the world’s biggest cruise line is setting up shop in Belize… for a long, long time. This afternoon, officials from Carnival Corporation in Miami officially confirmed to News 5 that the company has reached an agreement with Belize Ports Limited to construct a new cruise terminal facility at the port…a deal which would […]
It would be the largest single private investment in the nation’s history, but tonight there are more questions than answers surrounding the announcement of plans to build a huge new cruise terminal near the port in Belize City. The official unveiling came in the form of a press release issued last night by Belize Ports […]
As Belize’s biggest trading partner you wouldn’t think that Uncle Sam would need to do much here in the way of export promotion, particularly in view of the twenty-four seven advertising of U.S. goods on cable TV. But nothing succeeds like excess and today at his country’s second annual Made-in-the-USA exposition, Ambassador Russell Freeman made […]
Shrimp, the product that will likely take over as Belize’s biggest export, is about to gain some new markets. According to the Ministry of Foreign Trade, thanks to a concerted effort by the Shrimp Farmers Association, BAHA, and the Belize Embassy in Brussels, Belize will soon be granted a List One classification for shrimp exports […]
As Belize’s biggest trading partner you wouldn’t think that Uncle Sam would need to do much here in the way of export promotion, particularly in view of the twenty-four seven advertising of U.S. goods on cable TV. But nothing succeeds like excess and today at his country’s second annual Made-in-the-USA exposition, Ambassador Russell Freeman made […]
Shrimp, the product that will likely take over as Belize’s biggest export, is about to gain some new markets. According to the Ministry of Foreign Trade, thanks to a concerted effort by the Shrimp Farmers Association, BAHA, and the Belize Embassy in Brussels, Belize will soon be granted a List One classification for shrimp exports […]
If you’ve been to any of Belize’s tourism hotspots this summer, you would have noticed that what was once considered the slow season has turned into a very busy time of year. And today we have the statistics to prove it. The latest tourism arrival figures for July at the international airport show a massive […]
Today businessmen and women from across the country met in Belize City to discuss the future of the nation’s international trade. Facilitating the talks is Dr. Richard Bernal, Director General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery. Bernal has been endorsed by CARICOM governments to negotiate on behalf of the region with the global trade bodies. […]
Since arriving in Belize eight years ago from Nigeria, Stephen Okeke has achieved notoriety as a sculptor, inventor and businessman. His latest venture casts him in the role of author…with a plain speaking self-help book that tells it straight to prospective Belizean entrepreneurs. “The Psychology of the Belizean Marketplace” may not become a bestseller, but […]
The war in Iraq may be officially over, but somebody forget to tell that to the handful of multinational companies and OPEC countries that control the world’s supply of petroleum. That’s right; gas gone up again. The latest prices are seven-forty for a gallon of premium, a jump of twenty-eight cents; seven-twenty-seven for regular, an […]
While locally made products no longer attract the stigma of inferiority that plagued the era of import substitution, the challenges facing Belizean producers–particularly in today’s global economy–are no less daunting. This weekend the public will get a chance to see how we’re doing–as the annual exhibition known as BelPro ConEx takes off at the Princess. […]
An important and highly confidential document has been changing hands this week and tonight, the people who produced it are staunchly defending their exposed findings. It’s called a policy dialogue paper and entitled “Towards Sustainable Growth and Competitiveness.” It is in essence a review of the social and economic climate of Belize and is compiled […]
