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Belize is growing, investing and building towards greater energy independence. Belize is also expensive, struggling with unreliable electricity and demanding greater accountability. Both portraits emerged this week from the country’s two political leaders. Prime Minister John Briceño’s 2026 State of the Nation Address and Opposition Leader Tracy Panton’s response offered sharply contrasting assessments of the same country at 45 years of Independence. For Briceño, the evidence

Belize’s food prices have risen almost 40% since 2020, yet IMF guidance continues to suggest governments should protect vulnerable households directly rather than rely indefinitely on measures that restrain market prices. For Belizean households, the arithmetic of the grocery basket has become steadily less forgiving. The Statistical Institute of Belize’s Consumer Price Index shows the “Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages” sub-index at 138.6 in July 2026, compared with a base of

The National Trade Union Congress of Belize says none of its 11 demands has been met as submitted, after Cabinet responded in a 3-page letter to the Unions’ major proposals involving BTL, the PUC and the Revenue Authority Bill. The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) issued its preliminary response this week to a three-page letter from Prime Minister John Briceño outlining Cabinet’s position on demands submitted by the umbrella union body in August. The NTUCB said

Campaign finance reform is returning to Belize's national agenda, with the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other social partners renewing efforts to establish rules governing how political campaigns are financed. The Reporter has obtained an updated draft of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2026 being circulated by the BCCI as part of the renewed initiative. The effort comes after campaign finance reform has surfaced repeatedly over the past six

Belize has enacted a new Occupational Safety and Health Act, establishing expanded workplace protections for employees and new safety obligations for employers across the country. The Government announced Wednesday that the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2026 has been enacted and gazetted, describing the legislation as a modern framework intended to strengthen workplace health and safety standards. The legislation applies across public and private-sector workplaces, incl

Global food prices rose by 1.9 percent in August, with every major food category tracked by the United Nations recording an increase as sugar prices surged by nearly 12 percent. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that its Food Price Index averaged 133.3 points in August 2026, increasing 2.5 points from its revised July level. The broad-based increase pushed the index 2.5 percent above its August 2025 level, although international food prices remained 16.8 pe

Belize has again entered a period of load shedding after shortages in local generation left the national grid unable to fully absorb disruptions in electricity supplied from Mexico. Belize Electricity Limited confirmed that controlled power interruptions have already been used following two major outages in late August, reviving a problem that affected customers last year and exposing continued weaknesses in the country’s generation reserves. On August 25, BEL experienced an

Cabinet has approved a $2-per-gallon fuel subsidy for eligible bus operators through March 2027, unless fuel prices fall below $12 per gallon before then. The decision extends government support to the public transportation sector following weeks of uncertainty over whether the subsidy would continue and warnings from the Belize Bus Association (BBA) that high diesel prices were making operations increasingly difficult. In a September 2 letter to BBA President Philip Jones, C

A government-commissioned review has warned that Belize's historically low unemployment rate may partly reflect discouraged workers leaving the labour force rather than Belizeans moving into productive employment. The finding appears in the Draft Recommendations for Reform prepared under Phase I of the Government's Comprehensive Review of the Labour Act and submitted to the Ministry responsible for labour. The Government engaged Trinity Consultancy Services Firm in March to u

As BTSD workers walk out and unions warn of lost jobs, pensions and accountability, a close reading of the Revenue Authority Bill produces a corroboration score of 75 out of 100—indicating high corroboration overall. Their strongest case lies in the concentration of power, not in claims that the legislation wipes out existing employment and pension rights. As readers may already know, on Wednesday, August 26, employees of the Belize Tax Service Department (BTSD) walked off th

Cabinet has rejected BTL’s proposed acquisition of SMART/Speednet, but the Social Partners say the decision does not end the regulatory, financial and accountability questions surrounding the controversial transaction. In a late announcement Thursday, August 13, Cabinet said that after reviewing available information and considering views expressed by stakeholders and the public, it had reached an informed position that it “does not support the proposed acquisition.” The deci

Belize Telemedia Limited says its network can accommodate approximately one million users but currently serves only 225,000—a capacity gap at the centre of its business case for acquiring Speednet. BTL Chairman Markhelm Lizarraga says adding Speednet's approximately 100,000 customers would still leave the combined customer base using only slightly more than 30 percent of BTL's existing network capacity. That calculation formed one of the more detailed explanations provided to

It is ostensibly “all of us or none of us” for Belize's Social Partners, which have told the Government that any Cabinet meeting over BTL's proposed Speednet acquisition must include representatives from all four groups. The position follows an invitation from the Government for only the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) to meet with Cabinet on Thursday, August 13. But in a joint statement, the BCCI and NTUCB, t

Organized labour is preparing to take its opposition to BTL's proposed acquisition of SMART to the streets, with an NTUCB demonstration and rally set for Tuesday, August 18. The planned action—which also is connected to a Friday, August 14th, show of support by wearing black—marks an escalation in organized opposition to the proposed acquisition of Speednet Communications Limited by the government-owned Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), moving the trade union response from publ

By Ingrid Ferlo A summer camp that five Orange Walk high-school students almost skipped has produced an award-winning idea aimed at turning one of Belize’s most persistent coastal problems into a resource for agriculture. The students developed a concept to collect and process sargassum into agricultural fertilizer, earning their team the “Best Use of STEAM” award at a national festival held in San Ignacio, Cayo, on July 18, 2026. The five Bishop Martin High School students —

"A licensee shall not enter into or give effect to any agreement, arrangement or understanding which has the purpose or has, or is likely to have, the effect of significantly lessening competition in any market for the supply of telecommunication services or of any product used in connection with telecommunication services." — Section 42(4), Belize Telecommunications Act. The approval by Belize Telemedia Limited's (BTL) Board of Directors this week of a proposed acquisition o

Public Utilities Commission (PUC) says it will not prejudge Belize Telemedia Limited's proposed acquisition of Speednet Communications Limited (SMART), as business groups, independent senators and opposition legislators intensify calls for scrutiny of the transaction under the Telecommunications Act. The PUC issued a statement Wednesday reaffirming that its review of the proposed acquisition will be conducted strictly in accordance with the law, regulations and established pr

Belize's passport ranks 50th in the world in the latest Henley Passport Index, published on July 16, placing it among 199 passports assessed for global travel freedom and marking a modest improvement over last year. The 2026 Henley Passport Index, released by Henley & Partners on July 16, ranks passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without obtaining a visa before departure. Belize received a global access score of 100, giving Belizean pass

Current price-control regulations could discourage investment, reduce product availability and place smaller importers at a competitive disadvantage, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has warned. The BCCI, the country's leading private-sector advocacy organization, is calling on the Government of Belize to reverse the expanded price-control measures introduced in 2023, arguing that the framework—implemented during a period of exceptional global inflation and

The investigation into procurement at Belize's Ministry of Defence has largely focused on whether taxpayers paid too much for imported military boots. Jaime Marin, proprietor of the local manufacturer Umbraland, argues that the larger question is whether the Government is failing to use its own purchasing power to develop domestic industry. Mr. Marin points to Section 19 of the Fiscal Incentives Act, 2023, which provides that 20% of all government stores purchased and contrac