2 weeks ago
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Cabinet has approved proposed modifications to the Millennium Challenge Corporation, or MCC, Belize Compact, including the reallocation of twenty million U.S. dollars in funding from the Education Project to the Energy Project. The adjustment signals a strategic shift aimed at addressing pressing needs within the country’s energy sector, while still maintaining broader development goals under the compact. Minister of Public Service, Henry Usher, explained that the decision was driven by a reassessment of priorities within the programme, noting that the reallocation is intended to maximize the impact of MCC funding in areas that are critical to economic growth and national resilience.
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service: “So MCC covers two areas. It covers energy and it covers education. As you know, when the new administration in the United States came in, they moved away from renewable energy and were moving more towards fossil fuel energy. So we had to reallocate some of those funds away from renewable energy and towards more diesel production of energy. So I think that it was just that and we’re also in terms of the educational component of it’s more for teacher capacity, STEM education, things like that. So it is really the same funds that the MCC Compact is providing to Belize. Those funds are being used for those two areas, but it is just a reallocation of how the funds will be distributed.”
In addition to the reallocation, Cabinet has also confirmed that the Government of Belize will provide counterpart financing to support the implementation of the compact. This commitment is expected to ensure that the projects move forward efficiently and deliver tangible benefits to Belizeans. The MCC Belize Compact represents a significant partnership between Belize and the United States, focused on improving infrastructure, boosting economic opportunities, and enhancing institutional capacity. /
English (US) ·