Prime Minister Dean Barrow yesterday hosted his quarterly press conference where he addressed a number of national issues. The Prime Minister spoke on poverty alleviation. He announced that phase two of the southside project will begin shortly.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"The Southside Poverty Alleviation Project Phase two, we signed a loan in relation thereto a long time ago, is in the process of starting. The preparatory documents, the invitation to bid for the infrastructure works, remember that this will see the lining of Collet Canal from Yabra all the way to Conch Shell Bay, it will see the full paving of the entire length of Central American Boulevard, it will see a number of feeder streets. All these works are to be embarked upon, the bids are to be opened on the 8th of November and thereafter we will be good to go. The Minister is seeking to negotiate with all those who have entered bids so that we can be sure that winners will offer employment to some of the young men that we have now put to work. It is not going to be easy for government to sustain the financial outlays that have been the cost of the employment program; so the extent that some of them can be moved so they become part of the private sector workforce in the context of Southside Poverty Alleviation Phase two, that will be a good thing. The Ministry of Works will also do a portion of that infrastructure works, will be responsible for a portion of the program and so the Ministry of Works will itself be able to employ about 100 - 150 under the component that it will be responsible for, so we are absolutely confident that we can continue to absorb the young men who are involved in this program."

Prime Minister Barrow added that he will sign a loan agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank this week for a drainage project for the north side of Belize City.

LOVEFM