The Government of Belize, through the Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE), under the Building Resilient MSME’s Accelerating Digitization Project with a value of USD$360,000.00 funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), opened its second Digital Connect Center at the Corozal Public Library in Corozal Town. 

The Digital Connect Centers will offer free access to computers, internet, and is a part of a national commitment from all the key collaborators to promote digital inclusion and bridge the digital divide between urban and rural populations. The center will serve the residents of Corozal and surrounding areas with training in entrepreneurial development, business innovation and competitiveness for Micro Small Medium Enterprise (MSME), and it will also provide access to digital literacy trainings to upskill youths, women, the unemployed, underemployed and the elderly.

Residents and entrepreneurs can now access business development information, connect with government agencies, improve their technological capacities, and engage with others through mentorship and advisory services to propel their economic growth.  The Digital Connect Centers offers access to Digital Technologies and will connect entrepreneurs to BELTRAIDE's Virtual Knowledge Center (VKC) platform that provides access to training materials for enterprise growth and innovation, the MSME Directory, a Job Portal, and access to other support services and catalogues designed to propel business development.  Today’s launch event represents an investment of USD15,000 from UNDP with contribution from the Belize National Library Service. 

In attendance at the launch was Mayor Rigoberto Vellos, Corozal Town Council, CEO Narda Garcia CEO of the Ministry of Investment, Ms. Denise Antonio Resident Representative of Jamaica and Belize, UNDP, Dr. Leroy Almendarez, Executive Director of BELTRAIDE, representatives from the Belize National Library Service, and Smart Belize Ltd, the provider for internet services to the Center.