What Are 25 Caribbean Entrepreneurs Doing in Belize This Week? 

Belize is hosting young entrepreneurs from across the Caribbean this week as the US State Department marks the tenth anniversary of its Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) with a regional alumni forum.

The three-day event is organised by the US Embassy in Belize and brings together between 20 and 25 alumni from countries including Jamaica, St Lucia, Guyana, Suriname, and Antigua and Barbuda, alongside eight Belizean participants. The forum is designed to expand regional networking, strengthen business skills, and build on lessons learned during participants’ fellowship experiences in the United States.

Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Belize Katharine Beamer said the initiative reflects a long-term commitment to developing young leaders across the region. “In the United States, small businesses are the engine of our economic growth, and we are really committed to helping entrepreneurs in other countries succeed as well,” she said. “The United States considers our alumni to be a long-term investment in the future of those people and that country.”

For Ronelli Requena, a Belizean fashion designer and owner of Zayvha Sarai, the forum is her opportunity to connect with other Caribbean minds alike. She completed the YLAI programme in 2021 and says the mentorship she received was transformative.

“A lot of us entrepreneurs feel like it is a journey sometimes, but with the YLAI programme you get to be paired with a mentor. My mentor was phenomenal. She taught me how to get structure for my business and how to make it more of a sustainable venture and find balance,” Requena said.

She added that one of the most lasting tools she took from the programme was using technology to bring more structure to her operations.

Find out how these Caribbean entrepreneurs are turning regional connections into real business opportunities. Tune in to News 5 Live tonight at 6 o’clock.