The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) positioned gender equality at the forefront of national economic discourse during its fourth annual Women’s Empowerment Forum on March 18, 2026. Under the progressive theme “From Survival to Scale,” the event convened entrepreneurs, policymakers, and business leaders for substantive dialogue on overcoming persistent barriers to women’s economic participation.
CEO Kim Aikman set the strategic tone by declaring women’s empowerment not as charitable endeavor but as critical economic investment. The forum addressed multifaceted challenges including capital access limitations, digital inclusion gaps, workplace safety protocols, and surprisingly, menopause awareness in professional environments—a topic typically absent from business conferences.
The program featured the Women’s Thousand-dollar Grant Competition, recognizing innovative ventures with scalable potential. Local enterprises Oma Organix and My Cielo Blue emerged as award recipients for their transformative business models. Cultural dimensions were incorporated through a performance by Soca Queen Ernestine Carballo, whose artistic presentation celebrated female resilience in Belizean society.
The BCCI articulated its commitment to spearheading systemic changes that dismantle structural barriers, asserting that national economic advancement is intrinsically linked to creating environments where women’s entrepreneurial talents can flourish unimpeded.