Project assistance completion report : export and investment promotion project no. 505-0027

The component was implemented through a Cooperative Agreement with the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry/Belize Export and Investment Promotion Unit (BCCI/BEIPU) and a grant to the International Executive Services Corps (IESC). Project achievements have been impressive. (1) BCCI and BEIPU have merged into a dynamic organization effectively representing the interest of its members and successfully promoting Belize's private sector at home and abroad. Membership has increased from 98, when the project started, to 532 at the end of the project. A Trade and Policy Unit was established and played a key role in policy dialogue with government and the private sector. (2) A Handicraft Center was established to organize the handicraft industry. This provided jobs for Belizeans in rural areas, especially women, and promoted management and conservation of indigenous materials. (4) Services were provided to 3,400 investors, and 17 Belizeans received U.S. on-the-job training in such fields as agro-processing and tourism. (5) A national Lotto was launched by BCCI/BEIPU in an effort towards sustainability. (6) A Tourism Marketing and Public Relations Plan was developed. (7) Caracol and other key archaeological sites have been developed. Lessons learned are as follows. (1) Sustainability of the organization assisted should be an integral part of project design. (2) Concentrating on sustainability issues most of the time will cause the organization to lose its focus on its major objectives and prevent it from achieving project goals. (3) Income-generating projects undertaken in a small country are perceived by the private sector as direct competition, provoking serious criticism which damages the image of the sponsoring organization. (4) Organizations should not be involved in numerous income-generating activities, but should concentrate on one or two. (5) It is difficult to quantify the impact of export and investment promotion efforts in relation to investments generated. For example, an organization which received information on Belize in 1984 at the World Fair did not invest in the country until 1991. (6) Export and investment promotion activities are "public good services" and costs are not recoverable. When these tasks are given to a private organization, the assistance should be for a specific period and sustainability should not be a goal. (7) A strong private-sector-led organization has great influence in policy design and development through dialogue with both the public and private sectors. (8) In a small country like Belize where several private organizations are aggressively looking for sustainability through membership, the chances of any one organization achieving that goal is minimal. PVOs cannot achieve sustainability through membership alone.