Since the announcement came almost two years ago that the Ministry of Transport would be pushing for an upgrade in the public transportation system, bus operators have been making efforts to access financing to acquire better fleets and secure their runs. Along with the upgrade was the announcement that the United Nations Development Program was providing funding for Belize to acquire a fleet of electric buses, two for Belize City and three for interdistrict runs across the western and northern routes. While the e-buses in the Old Capital have been a welcomed option for a couple of months now, the ones earmarked for the cross-district runs have only been in the country since last Wednesday. According to E-mobility Project Manager, Taheerah Usher, there will be two buses running in opposite directions along the western route while the third will run along the northern route. She went over the criteria for a company or individual to qualify for all three routes.
On the phone: Taheerah Usher
On the phone: Taheerah Usher, E-mobility Project Manager, UNDP Belize
“We’ve asked private operators to, um. To indicate their interest is managing and operating these buses under that specific expression of interest, their specific criteria as a qualifications that they would be required to have in order for them to be considered to manage and operate the three buses. They would then have access to the full request form for proposals, and then they’d be able to submit their bid and then be evaluated based on those criteria that are outlined within the tender documents. The specific criteria is looking at in terms of your experience. Do you have any experience within the sector? Um, uh, looking at the financial standings, uh, within the, uh, expression, you see that there’s and I can share the link with you. There’s a specific criteria that asks in terms of providing financial. So, the financial breakdowns for the business and be able to show your financial capacity to actually operate and manage as well as the human resources. So do you have the relevant capacities within your existing, um, within your existing business to be able to, um, run these buses? So for example, your bus drivers, your conductors, and your human resources in terms of your, um, accountants and stuff like that. So I asked specifically for those criteria. And then based on that, then we’d be able to, with their submission, evaluate whether or not they meet those minimum criteria.”
Usher explained that one bidder, whether a company or an individual, will get the green light to operate all three buses under the routes mentioned. She explained that the runs will not interfere with those that are currently being conducted because the time slots are different from the schedules that current bus operators run.
On the phone: Taheerah Usher, E-mobility Project Manager, UNDP Belize
“It’s one tender and so the three buses would be awarded to one successful bidder. The document specifies the routes and the times in terms of peak and off peak times. And I know that the Department of Transport did their thorough research and investigation in terms of ensuring that none of the times which are being proposed does not interfere with any existing routes or runs. So I know they’ve done a lot of work in terms of that to ensure that there’s no clashes with any of the existing runs right now.”
The International Network of Women in Business, NIME is inviting the public to join them on November ninth for Belize’s first-ever International Women’s Forum. It is a collaboration with the Federation of Organizations of Women, Businesswomen and Entrepreneurs of Central America and the Dominican Republic. It aims to raise awareness on challenges and business opportunities for women in the tourism sector in the region. NIME president, Katia Montenegro-Hoare provided more details on the event.
Katia Montenegro-Hoare
Katia Montenegro-Hoare, President, NIME
“NIME Belize is hosting the first International Women’s Forum in Belize. This is the ninth regional forum in Central America and the Dominican Republic. We will have delegates from the different organizations of women in business in Central America and the Dominican Republic, as well as different partners in the U.S. and Mexico. Together, we hope to have a large network of women in business collaborating and forming partnerships and showcasing their products and services. The forum will be happening on November ninth. We will start with a forum with different presentations, addressing challenges and opportunities in the tourism sector, specifically addressing the different gender gaps and the challenges and the different opportunities that women have. And also we will have an expo for women in business, the same ninth of November during the night. And of course, also we are having a master class with our members and different participants from the international delegation to talk about gender equity, specifically in the tourism sector.”
Britney Gordon
“So how do women participate in this forum? Do they need to sign up somewhere? Or what’s that process looking like?”
Katia Montenegro-Hoare, President
“Yes, we are at the stage of promoting the event and then we will have a registration form. You can reach out to NIME Belize to find out more about how you can register and be part of this amazing opportunity.”
The International Network of Women in Business, NIME, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Development Finance Corporation to empower women entrepreneurs and drive economic growth in Belize. The partnership will bolster NIME’s support for women-led businesses by providing financial resources and business development support its members. Katia Montenegro-Hoare told how this partnership will assist over two hundred women across the country.
Katia Montenegro-Hoare
Katia Montenegro-Hoare, President, NIME
“So today marks a significant milestone for NIME Belize as we sign the first memorandum of understanding with the Development Finance Corporation. This collaboration is a powerful one for us. NIME Belize has been collaborating with the Development Finance Corporation since the beginning of our journey in 2022. NIME Belize offers a space, a platform, a community for women in business. to grow and succeed in business. We offer mentorship, advocacy, and opportunities to provide the tools for women to succeed in business. Through this collaboration, we hope to enhance the different incentives and programs that we offer for our membership. And, of course, today marks the beginning of, long term relationship in terms of access to financing and different programs that can provide women different opportunities to access finances. As we know, this is one of the main challenges for women owned businesses. So this collaboration is very important for both organizations.”
Britney Gordon
“As we know, Belize is heavily dependent on the income that comes from women that are employed for their households, taking care of their children. So what about the impact that organizations like NIME and the initiatives that you guys run have on women in Belize?”
Katia Montenegro-Hoare
“So one of our main objectives is to provide a different tools, information and opportunities for women in business. We create that by providing women a safe space where they can share experiences, ask questions, collaborate with each other, and even create partnerships. So through collaborations like this, we are able to address the specific needs of women owned businesses and work together to create different products, financial products and services that can, that women can have access to.”
Britney Gordon
“Finally, you said this collaboration will give you guys more access to funding, so how can we see the initiatives that you guys do expand now that this collaboration will take into effect?”
Katia Montenegro-Hoare
“So we are at the beginning of the collaboration, of course. There is a process that we need to go through, and of course one of our objectives as well is to create mentorship programs and different boot camps in specifically for financial literacy and inclusion. So once we have our members be part of that, then we can provide the different requirements and, the different structure that they need in order to be able to access financing.”
The National Assembly is one of the most important features of the country’s governance system. It is the seat of the legislature, one of the three branches of government. The National Assembly is where laws are created in the interest of accountability and good governance. Belize’s legislative history runs deep, from Burnaby’s Code in the late seventeenth century, to the Legislative Assembly in the mid eighteenth century and now the National Assembly in the twenty-first century. But it was not until the mid-nineteenth century that the residents of then British Honduras were afforded the right to elect representatives. Today, the National Assembly houses thirty-one elected members in the House of Representatives and thirteen members of the Senate. Their roles are just as important now as they were centuries ago. News Five’s Paul Lopez takes a closer look at the roles and responsibilities of the Legislature in this week’s installment of the Five Point Breakdown.
Point 1: (The Legislature)
The National Assembly of Belize was founded on December thirty-first, 1963. Before then, it was called the Legislative Assembly. The first general election was held in 1954 where nine of the fifteen members were elected. Before then, all members of the assembly were nominated. With the right to vote came the emergence of political parties.
Laura Tucker-Longsworth
Laura Tucker-Longsworth, Former Speaker of the House
“The House business is important, the proceedings in both the House and the Senate, because people do listen. What they are listening to hear is how their elected representatives are taking care of them as a people, how they are advancing those initiative and so people should take an active part. It is called participatory role in ensuring that their interest are taken care of by elected representatives, so whether it has to do with water, safety, whatever it is, business, their representatives should be representing their interest from their various constituencies in the House and Senate.”
Point 2: (The Speaker of the House)
The People’s United Party won the first general election. The members who were elected to the then Legislative Assembly include names like George Price, Phillip Goldson and Leigh Richardson, to name a few. The name changed to the National Assembly when British Honduras gained full self-governance and effected the constitution. One role that has remained constant through the transition is the seat of the Speaker. In Belize the Speaker’s role has been traditionally one of a referee.
Valerie Woods
Valerie Woods, Speaker of the House of Representative
“It is important because the business that is discussed here by the thirty-one members of Parliament in the House and the thirteen in the Senate, that is what impacts everyday life. They create legislation, they amend legislation, they debate on motions, on loan motions as well, as well as other forms of motions in terms of support for a foreign country program or an alliance with a foreign country. So, it does impact every day lives of Belizeans.”
Point 3: (The Legislature’s Importance to Belizeans)
The Assembly Building in Belmopan was inaugurated in 1970. Fifty-four years later, it is undergoing major renovations. Over the course of the next twelve months, parliamentary meetings will be held at the George Price Center for Peace and Development. At the 1970 inauguration, an ordinance was passed to change the name of the Colony of British Honduras to Belize.
Paul Lopez
“Why do you think most Belizeans lack interest in the business that takes place within the National Assembly?”
Valerie Woods
“Well, have you watched the House meetings? It is up to us, those in the leadership positions and those who are responsible for what goes at the legislature, it is up to us to make it appealing and to encourage our citizenry to pay attention and to be alert of what is happening at your legislature. It impacts them. It impacts all of us. We have to do a better job, the way we debate, language we use, the parliamentary decorum. But we also from the administrative side of the parliament, we have to do a better job in terms of reaching out to the public.”
Point 4 :(National Assembly Administrative Staff)
During National Assembly debates spectators get to see what happens inside the parliamentary chambers. But, behind the scenes there is a National Assembly Staff supervised by the Clerk and the Deputy Clerk, who is appointed by a National Assembly Committee.
Laura Tucker-Longsworth
“The work is not only what you see on TV with people going back and forth, something good, something bad, something we can do better with, but it is what is going on behind the scenes to make sure these meetings take place. But we have a more important role in ensuring that the National Assembly operates at a very high level, a professional level, so that when Bills come to the House, there are systems and committees in place to look at these bills to see if they are ready, to fact check and to be able to offer our legislatures the insights of other laws and bills.”
Point 5: (Encouraging Public Participation in The Legislature)
Essentially, the fabric of the Belizean identity has been woven together, in part, by what happens inside the National Assembly throughout the years. From the freedoms that are afforded to us, aid for the most vulnerable, essential infrastructural development, and the list goes on. But, how can greater public participation in the legislative process be encouraged?
Valerie Woods
“Every decision taken in the National Assembly of Belize, both the House of Representatives and in the upper house, the Senate, it is about people’s lives, about the direction of the country and ultimately will impact your life. They should pay attention. I readily admit, some of the language is not user friendly, it can get very legalize if I can use that term and some of the procedural can be a bit monotonous, I dare say boring.”
Laura Tucker-Longsworth
“We do not pay enough attention to our history, where we are coming from and our children, likewise, do not really know how important it is to know how bills are passed, how to lobby for their own environments. If they are going to school and the traffic is preventing them from walking across the street, do they know they have an area representative who can address those things. So, we as a society have to shoulder some of that responsibility. That is one of the reasons why people don’t pay attention. They go in there and people have already decided what they want to do and it is just a quarrel to show who is how. It is much more than that.”
Tonight, a father is desperately seeking public assistance with providing the medical treatment his daughter is in desperate need of. For over a year, seventeen-year-old Adeline Arnold of Roaring Creek Village, has struggled with a lupus diagnosis and is now seeking blood donations. According to her father, Ken Arnold, the disease runs on the family, and two of his daughters have now been diagnosed. He stopped by our office today to tell us that he appreciates all the help towards his daughter’s cause.
Ken Arnold
Ken Arnold, Adeline’s Father
“I just come to see if I could get a little help from my daughter, through with some blood. And anybody willing to give the blood could go to the blood bank and give it up and just put her name Adeline Ashanti Arnold. And I’d really appreciate it from anyone who willing to help my baby.”
Britney Gordon
“What exactly are we looking for blood for? What has she been diagnosed with and how long has she been struggling with that?”
Ken Arnold
“For the past year and change, my baby just in and out of the hospital with this lupus and thing, then ih kidney, it get swell up, and We don’t have the money fi say, get out there ker ah fi get the help, but, I just ask anybody who willing to help her with the blood, or that to get it over with, so that ih could feel much better. And I thank anybody who willing to do it, under God, eyes a heart. I appreciate it.”
Britney Gordon
“What type of blood does she have?”
Ken Arnold
“It could be a positive and o positive. That’s what the doctor asked for. Because from the time it take effect of the sickness, ih can’t move, ih can’t do anything, ih can’t even walk wa lee distance due to weh ih get tired. And the lupus, we talk to people about lupus and according to what people say, you have no cure. But God is our cure, you understand? I da willing to see and get up off of the bed and walk again and feel happy. Guys that’s my baby girl, ih neem start her life as it, and that’s all I ask. If anybody da want help, then I left the phone number for her mother, It’s six-zero-seven-zero-nine-thirty-two. I also have my number is six-seven-four-eight-one-two-two and if you feel free to give me a call and we could talk about it and see what you could help with.”
Police are investigating a fatal road traffic accident that left one person dead and three others injured. The accident occurred between miles 36 and 37 on the George Price Highway. Upon arrival, officers found a white Chrysler van partially off the road and a green Ford Escape overturned with its wheels in the air.
The driver of the van, 27-year-old tour guide Dennis Kevin Perez, told police that while traveling with two foreign passengers, Kelsey Marie O’Connor and Baylee Ann O’Brien, he saw the Ford Escape, driven by 40-year-old Jaime Alberto Correa, overturn and crash into his vehicle. The impact forced Perez’s van off the road, leaving him and his passengers with injuries. Meanwhile, 28-year-old Estevan Chiac, who was a passenger in the Ford Escape, died at the scene. Correa was transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in an unconscious state with various injuries. The investigation is ongoing.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is grappling with escalating economic challenges as his administration rapidly depletes the nation’s dollar reserves. Following his controversial declaration as the winner of the July presidential election, Maduro has faced significant international criticism, widespread protests, and a noticeable distancing from former allies.
The bolívar has weakened significantly in unofficial markets, trading up to 20% below the official rate, the widest gap since 2022. This drop highlights the shrinking dollar reserves, partly drained by Maduro’s election-related spending on rallies and advertisements.
Economist José Manuel Puente from the Institute of Higher Education in Administration in Caracas noted, “The government decided to keep the exchange rate anchored for political and electoral reasons. The imbalance will end as it always does in Venezuela: with a large exchange rate adjustment, probably with an inflationary shock, and with an economic slowdown or recession.”
Maduro defended his expenditures, saying, “That is not waste. It’s the necessary investment for the country to continue its course.”
Rising inflation is causing severe strain on businesses and contributing to the hardship of 82% of Venezuelans living in poverty. This economic pressure is likely to worsen the migration crisis, which has seen nearly 8 million people leave the country since 2015.
A father is reaching out with a heartfelt plea for the community’s support for his 17-year-old daughter, Adeline Ashanti Arnold, who is battling severe complications from lupus. Adeline’s condition has worsened significantly, leaving her bedridden and frequently in the hospital. She is a resident of Roaring Creek Village, Cayo.
Adeline’s family is asking for donations of A-positive and O-positive blood. Local residents who are eligible and willing to help are encouraged to visit nearby blood donation centres.
For those interested in offering further assistance or seeking more information, Adeline’s mother, Denise Gordon, can be reached at 607-0932.
The Arnold family greatly appreciates any support the community can provide during this challenging time.
Goldman Sachs and Bank of America are on the brink of a deal that could reshape Ecuador’s financial landscape while bolstering efforts to save the Amazon rainforest. The two financial giants are crafting a debt-for-nature swap that would allow Ecuador to manage its debt more effectively in exchange for a commitment to environmental conservation.
This ‘deal’ involves refinancing part of Ecuador’s debt with a new, more favourable bond, with the extra savings earmarked for protecting the rainforest. Last year, Ecuador made headlines with the largest debt-for-nature swap ever, saving over $1 billion and aiding conservation efforts in the Galapagos Islands. Now, this new transaction aims to reduce the country’s future debt payments and funding needs for the next few years.
Finance Minister Juan Carlos Vega expressed enthusiasm, highlighting the dual benefits of debt relief and environmental protection.
As reported by BNN Bloomerang, a representative from The Nature Conservancy mentioned in an email to Bloomberg that such projects hold “great potential” for assisting countries in achieving their conservation and climate objectives.
Similarly, on November 5, 2021, Belize signed a debt-for-nature swap with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), an environmental organisation, which reduced the country’s external debt by a striking 10 percent of GDP. “It greatly improved the prospects for marine protection. Belize’s prime minister, John Briceño, said the deal would protect the country’s oceans and pave the way to strong, long-lasting growth,” reported IMF News.
Both Ecuador and Belize’s debt-for-nature swaps illustrate a growing trend of combining financial restructuring with environmental conservation. This approach sets a precedent for future collaborations between financial institutions and conservation organisations.
