The Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE) , officially handed over a new security and maintenance facility to the University of Belize (U.B.).

Hon. Tracy Taegar-Panton, Minister of State in the Ministry of Economic Development, Petroleum, Investment, Trade and Commerce with responsibility for BELTRAIDE, handed over the keys to the new building to Mr. Alan Slusher, President of the University of Belize  during a brief ceremony held this morning at the U.B.’s Faculty of Management and Social Sciences Campus in Belize City.

Hon. Tracy Taegar- Panton – Minister of State in the Ministry of Economic Development, Petroleum , Investment, Trade and Commerce
Allan Slusher – President, University of Belize

The L-Shaped building is approximately 2,000 sq. ft. and was built on a 36” x 14” reinforced concrete strip footing raised 24” above grade level with 6” reinforced core filled blocks. The walls comprise of 2” x 4” timber-frame cladded on the outside with construction latte paper and ¾” timber resembling plycem known  as cempestre plycem.  The inner walls are also timber-frame cladded with ½”drywall. The same applies for the ceiling. The roof comprise mainly of 2”x 6” rafters secured with hurricane clips and straps and cladded with red galvalume roofing.

The building is comprised of two sections – one for the U.B. Security Staff and the other for the U.B. Maintenance Department.  Each section comprises of an open office space, a private office and restrooms for each area.  The building is valued at approximately $60,000 Belize dollars and was built by Contractor Sergio Luna.

The facility is a part of a development agreement between BELTRAIDE and the University of Belize that was signed on September 17th, 2015 which entails the construction of the Belize Enterprise and Innovation Institute (BEI2), which will be located on the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences U.B. Belize City Campus. BEI2 will house two of BELTRAIDE’s technical units: SBDCBelize and EXPORTBelize and is designed to nurture entrepreneurship and innovation and strengthen Belize’s enterprise competitiveness.

The University of Belize and BELTRAIDE continues to foster a very productive and mutually beneficial relationship for the development of Belize!