By Breaking Belize News Staff: Twenty million U.S. dollars originally earmarked for education under Belize’s MCC Compact has been shifted to the energy sector, with Prime Minister John Briceño saying the Government will put up additional money to ensure that the education objectives are not sacrificed.
Officials explained the change Friday as the US$125 million Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact formally moved into its five-year implementation period.
When the compact was originally approved in 2024, US$73.8 million in MCC funds was budgeted for the Education Project and US$21.7 million for the Energy Project.
Following a U.S. Government foreign-assistance review, the compact was modified in July 2026 to move US$20 million from education into energy, primarily to accommodate major new electricity infrastructure, including a new 69-kilovolt submarine transmission cable to Ambergris Caye.
MCC’s current breakdown lists US$53.8 million for the Education Project and US$41.7 million for the Energy Project.
Briceño said Friday that the shift should not result in education programs being lost because the Government of Belize has stepped in to cover the funding gap.
“I don’t think there’s an impact because we are going to be filling the void or the shortage of the money,” the Prime Minister said.
Belize has now committed approximately US$54.94 million of its own money to the overall compact, up from the US$40.65 million contribution contemplated when the original agreement was signed.
MCC Acting Vice President Jason Small said Belize’s contribution is more than five times the minimum country contribution that MCC would ordinarily require, calling it a tangible demonstration of the Government’s commitment to completing the projects.
The urgency on the energy side centres heavily on Ambergris Caye.
Briceño told reporters that the existing submarine cable supplying San Pedro from the mainland had already reached the end of its expected lifespan in 2019.
“So there’s a sense of urgency to get that done,” Briceño said.
The Prime Minister said the project will involve more than the submarine cable itself, noting that new transmission infrastructure will also have to be developed from the Bomba area.
The modified compact officially provides for a new 69-kilovolt submarine transmission cable to Ambergris Caye, along with regulatory reforms aimed at modernizing the electricity sector and reducing wholesale electricity costs.
Briceño said the wider goal is to reduce Belize’s vulnerability to imported electricity and eventually place the country in a position where it can produce enough electricity domestically to meet its needs and potentially export power into the Central American market.
The post US$20M shifted from education to energy as MCC moves to fund new San Pedro submarine cable appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Twenty million U.S. dollars originally earmarked for education under Belize’s MCC Compact has been shifted to the energy sector, with Prime Minister John Briceño saying the Government will put up additional money to ensure that the education objectives are not sacrificed. Officials explained the change Friday as the US$125 million
The post US$20M shifted from education to energy as MCC moves to fund new San Pedro submarine cable appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
