CDB and Belize launch entrepreneurial training to empower MSMEs 

Published on Apr 7, 2025 

In a significant step to enhance livelihoods and business opportunities in Belize, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB, the Bank) through the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Fund (UKCIF) financed a two-week entrepreneurial development training programme for owners of 42 Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Corozal District, Belize.

Held from February 11-21, 2025, the initiative was executed by the Ministry of Development and Housing (MIDH), in partnership with the Belize Social Investment Fund (BSIF) and the Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE). 

The capacity building programme forms part of a broader gender-sensitive and socially inclusive strategy to support small businesses along the recently upgraded Philip Goldson Highway and Remate Bypass funded by the United Kingdom. The initiative contributes to a

longer-term development strategy developed to support MSMEs along over 100 miles of new roadway.

As part of a deliberate business formalisation drive, 78 entrepreneurs received free business registration in collaboration with BELTRAIDE and the Belize Companies and Corporate Affairs Registry (BCCAR).

The training exposed the participants to business model management, customer service, digital marketing, financial statement analysis, cashflow management and budgeting. The event, a critical component of a wider effort to support small business development, culminated with the Buy Belizean Expo in Corozal where businesses showcased their products and services.