By Breaking Belize News Staff: Belize has officially moved from planning to implementation of its US$125 million Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact, beginning a five-year clock to complete major reforms and investments in education and energy.
Prime Minister John Briceño said Friday that work in both sectors will have to proceed simultaneously because Belize has only five years to deliver the projects.
“We only have five years, so we have to be simultaneously doing several things,” Briceño said.
On the education side, one of the immediate priorities will be the continued transformation of Belize’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training system, including establishment and operationalization of a National Training Agency.
The original compact requires the National Training Agency to operate as an autonomous institution responsible for planning and oversight of the TVET system, while sector skills councils are to connect training more closely to the needs of employers and the labour market.
The wider Education Project also includes teacher and school-leader training, national student assessments, strengthened teacher licensing, increased access to free secondary education and work-based opportunities such as apprenticeships.
MCA-Belize Chief Executive Officer Dr. Marcia Mahler Bouloy said the first year will involve continued work with ministries, educational institutions and other stakeholders, along with procuring consultants and carrying forward work already started during the preparation phase.
“What happens immediately is a continuation of our collaboration with the different ministries, agencies, university sectors that we have been working with,” Bouloy explained.
She said establishing the national training body and moving ahead with consultancies in the energy sector are among the activities that must be completed early if the compact is to remain on schedule.
Accountability and transparency mechanisms, she added, will continue throughout the five-year implementation period.
The energy component will meanwhile focus heavily on the new high-voltage submarine cable linking Ambergris Caye to the mainland transmission system, along with modernization of Belize’s electricity regulatory framework.
The compact was first signed on September 4, 2024. Under the agreement, its formal term lasts five years from its Entry into Force.
MCC is providing US$125 million, while the Government of Belize has increased its own contribution to approximately US$54.94 million.
Asked what Belizeans should expect by the end of those five years, Briceño pointed to both the shortage of skilled workers and the country’s energy challenges, saying he expects the investments to produce noticeable changes.
“Within five years, I have every confidence that you’re going to see a major difference in the development of this country,” the Prime Minister said.
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By Breaking Belize News Staff: Belize has officially moved from planning to implementation of its US$125 million Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact, beginning a five-year clock to complete major reforms and investments in education and energy. Prime Minister John Briceño said Friday that work in both sectors will have to proceed simultaneously because Belize has only
The post PM Briceño: ‘Within five years, you’re going to see a major difference in this country; Five-year MCC clock starts appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
