Fonseca: “Our People Are Struggling to Afford the Basics”
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Education, Culture, Science and Technology Francis Fonseca delivered the keynote address at the 228th anniversary of the Battle of St George’s Caye ceremony in Belize City this morning.
One of the topics that Fonseca spoke on is the cost of living.
“We know that sovereignty is incomplete if our people are struggling to afford the basics,” he said.
Fonseca acknowledged that rising fuel costs, food inflation, and utility bills continue to weigh heavily on Belizean households and said the government’s current relief measures aren’t enough on their own. “The real daily burden of rising fuel costs, food inflation, and utility bills rests heavily on Belizean households. We must meet these practical challenges head-on. Our government has implemented targeted social protection and cost of living relief, but we recognise that we must do more. We need to scale up multidimensional poverty alleviation programmes to support vulnerable families in both rural communities and urban centres, ensuring direct safety nets for food, health, education, and basic services.”
He called for practical interventions to stabilise costs and reduce Belize’s reliance on imported goods. “We must implement responsible, common-sense interventions to lower the cost of basic food basket items, stabilise the cost of electricity, and manage international fuel volatility. We must also empower our local farmers and fisherfolk to produce more food locally, cutting our dependence on expensive imports and directly lowering prices at local markets.”
On education, Fonseca outlined plans to modernise the curriculum and remove financial barriers to schooling. “In education, we are introducing modern reforms with a focus on critical thinking, digital literacy, and technical vocational education. At the same time, we are removing cost barriers to secondary and tertiary education, so no child in Belize is priced out of their potential.”
He also called for broader economic diversification beyond Belize’s traditional reliance on tourism and agriculture. “We must also advance bold economic reform by supporting our entrepreneurs through microfinancing, reducing red tape, and building incubators for small businesses and young innovators. We must look beyond the traditional twin pillars of tourism and agriculture and embrace the blue, green, and orange economies. Economic growth must be resilient and inclusive and reach every family, especially those in underserved communities.”