Three years after the global COVID-19 pandemic upended economies worldwide, small and emerging entrepreneurs in Belize continue to rebuild their livelihoods – and a new $3 million commitment from the Taiwanese Embassy aims to expand ongoing support for the groups driving much of the country’s local economic growth: women and young people.
This new funding marks a continuation of partnership that has already delivered tangible progress for thousands of Belizean women navigating post-pandemic economic recovery. The first initiative, titled the Increasing Economic Power for Micro-Entrepreneurs Project, already extended critical support to more than 2,000 women, many of whom used the opportunity to break into professional fields they had never previously accessed. In addition to opening new income streams, the early programming has helped revitalize local communities across the country, with a growing number of women now working in non-traditional sectors including mobile device repair.
Building on this successful foundation, the new Belize Women and Youth MSMEs Development Project will deliver far more than just capital injection. Taiwan will contribute decades of its own economic development expertise, alongside targeted training in entrepreneurial management, hands-on vocational skill building, and end-to-end business guidance to help emerging founders turn ideas into sustainable operations. Support will be prioritized for high-potential local sectors including tourism, indigenous handicraft production, construction, and other growing industries that anchor Belize’s domestic economy.
Speaking at the launch of the new project, Taiwanese Ambassador to Belize Amino Chi emphasized that the partnership is rooted in shared progress. “We can see communities were rebuilt and many women have stepped into non-traditional fields, such as cell phone repair. Based on the foundation we have built together, we are pleased to launch today the Belize Women and Youth MSMEs Development Project,” Chi said. “Through the project, Taiwan will share its experience and expertise to train women and youth in Belize with entrepreneurship, equip them with vital vocational skills and assist them in building their own business.”
Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Francis Fonseca echoed this perspective, noting that investing in women entrepreneurs delivers cascading benefits that extend far beyond individual business owners. “When a woman starts a business, she’s not only generating income for herself. She is very often the primary force stabilizing a household’s finances, financing her children’s education and reinvesting in her community,” Fonseca explained. “Support to women entrepreneurs is, in that sense, one of the most direct investments we can make in the next generation of Belizeans.”
Fonseca added that expanding access to entrepreneurship for underrepresented groups is a core, intentional priority of the Belizean government’s medium- and long-term national development strategy. “Therefore, we must create the enabling environment that allows businesses not only to start but to survive, grow, create jobs and become a lasting part of our economy,” he said. “And within it, closing the gender gap in enterprise ownership and growth is a named priority, not an afterthought.”
Belizean officials say the new funding aligns with the government’s broader goal of fostering inclusive economic growth that strengthens local families and communities. The investment is designed not just to help new founders launch their businesses, but to give them the tools and support to scale, create local jobs, and build long-term resilience that benefits entire regions of the country.