During official visit to Belize, CABEI offers to expand its support

Tegucigalpa, January 19, 2022.- Over the past year, the financing and cooperation initiatives carried out by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) in Belize have focused on strengthening social infrastructure.

These efforts, which are aimed at modernizing the country's public services, seek to satisfy the basic needs of the population and contribute to poverty reduction and economic recovery.

In terms of active loans, CABEI is currently financing Belize's Comprehensive Security Program with US$30.0 million, of which US$3.4 million has been disbursed. The general objective of the Program is to strengthen citizen security by investing in infrastructure and equipment, which, in addition to enhancing the capacities of national security institutions, will support regional efforts to prevent, reduce and combat crime.

CABEI also provided some emergency assistance, two for the fight against COVID-19, one for US$1 million in March 2020, and another for US$500 thousand in June of the same year; as well as one for the same amount to mitigate the damage caused by Hurricane Eta in January 2021.

Important approach

CABEI expects to broaden its horizons in this country and to this end began an official tour led by its Executive President, Dante Mossi, which began this past Monday, January 17 and concludes on January 21, including meetings with government authorities such as the Prime Minister, John Briceño, and officials from Finance, Economic Development and Investment, Education, Industry, Forensic Scientific Services, Integral Security Programs, Health and Welfare, Infrastructure Development and Housing, Defense and Border Security, Rural Transformation, Labor, Transportation, Youth and Sports, among others.

Among the items on the agenda during the first day was the formalization of the Bicentennial Scholarship Program, which will benefit 25 secondary school students for a period of five years.

In addition, the Bank will take the opportunity to update the government on the status of the cooperation being processed and present the products that the multilateral can offer to support sustainable development.