G.O.B. and MCC Officially Sign US$125 Million Grant Agreement  

We have been hearing about the Millennium Challenge Corporation since the start of the year. The Government of Belize previously announced that the MCC is granting Belize one hundred and twenty-five million US dollars to address poverty through economic development. Well, that grant agreement was officially signed today at a ceremony in Belize City. Representatives from the MCC, including Chief Executive Officer Alice Albright, were present. So was Prime Minister John Briceño, as well as Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow. News Five’s Paul Lopez was also there and filed the following report.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Today, the Government of Belize and the Millennium Challenge Corporation formally signed the Belize Compact Grant Agreement. The one-hundred-and-twenty-five-million-dollar grant is aimed at strengthening Belize’s education and energy sectors. The Toucan Room at the Biltmore was filled with government officials, U.S representatives and a special appearance by the Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow. Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer of MCC, explained that the Government of Belize will invest an additional forty million dollars to the project, bringing the total to one hundred and sixty-five million U.S dollars.

 

Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer, MCC

“Your dedication to reform and your commitment to improving the lives of your people serves as a beacon to what is possible when it comes to reducing poverty through economic growth. So it is a big number and a big number we should all be proud of given the tradeoff involved in making those kinds of investments.”

 

Seventy-four million U.S dollars of those funds will be invested in the education project. The primary objective is to increase training for teachers to combat low-quality education. And what about the need for additional teachers in institutions where there are reported shortages?

 

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“It is a very important issue but I think what this grant intends to do is to really take a comprehensive look at our education system. We will look at all the legislation involving he education system, all the structures that have in place for decades, to see how we can make the education system more effective. A critical component of that is how we improve opportunities for our teachers. How do we enhance our teachers capacity to contribute to education in Belize. How do we improve in terms of incentives for our teachers.”

 

Twenty-one million dollars of the funds will be invested in the energy sector to reduce the cost of electricity for Belizeans.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Our research has focused on finding sustainable ways to reduce the cost of energy for the people of Belize. Through this grant, we will facilitate new power purchase agreements for low-cost renewable energy, modernize our grid to efficiently manage an influx of various power generation and support the organizations that oversee our electricity infrastructure. This grant is a testament to the strength of our partnership with the MCC an independent U.S. Government international agency whose mission to reduce poverty by fostering economic growth is fully aligned with the priorities of this government.”

 

In total, ninety-five million dollars is being allocated to the education and energy projects. The additional funds will be used to meet administrative costs associated with staffing. As it pertains to oversight, Prime Minister Briceño noted that the entire process has been and will continue to be transparent.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“The whole process for the signing of this compact has been open and transparent. Everybody has been on board on how this has been set up. This is nothing new that has been done in Belize. I think it follows from different templates that has been done in other countries. There is no hidden agenda. We are bound by this agreement to be able to be open and transparent. So I don’t think there should be any concern.”

 

 Alice Albright

“The oversight and implementation will be very much a joint effort and a joint partnership between our folks in Washington and then the entity we set up here.”

 

Michelle Kwan, U.S Ambassador to Belize

“This is a very momentous occasion. I know it has been two and a half years in the making. This is the eighties compact of MCC and it is the celebratory occasion, and it is also the beginning of a lot of work. A hundred and twenty-five million dollars focused on education which will be eight percent and twenty percent on energy. I think as the prime minister has said in the past, this impact will be transformational for this country. It will impact a hundred and forty thousand Belizean student across the country and every single Belizean will feel the lower cost of electricity when they get their bills at the end of the month.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.