The San Pedro Town Council has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Caribbean Local Economic Development Project (CARILED) for the implementation of a program that is aimed to promote local economic development through the support of small business start up incentives.
The signing took place on Friday, September 11, 2015, which is being implemented by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), a project funded by the Government of Canada. San Pedro is the first municipality to be signed up into the project’s second phase, with Belize City, Belmopan and San Ignacio benefiting from the first phase already. This initiative is being held in seven Caribbean countries and now including Belize.
The approach of the program focuses on local authorities to work in partnership with the private sector, non-government organizations and local residents to stimulate and encourage business activity in the community. CARILED will provide technical assistance to small business startups in San Pedro. They have already looked at the general economic environment of the town and conducted a local economic profile study that gathers data that will be used to assist participants.
CARILED representative Ledi Urbina commented that the memorandum of understanding is intended to facilitate the community members to overcome their challenges when they are in the process of opening a business. The plan is to assist the creation of more businesses and the expansion of current ones. The San Pedro Town Council has appointed Jorge Aldana to lead the program on Ambergris Caye. He is the business support person within the Council who will liaison and assist individuals with their startup business.
Mayor Daniel Guerrero was eager and happy to sign into the memorandum and expressed his optimism of the project especially since San Pedro Town is a booming tourism community. Present at the signing of the memorandum were members of the San Pedro Town Council, Ledi Urbina a representative of CARILED and Director of Local Government Eugene Palacio representing the Government of Belize.
