BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Apr. 26, 2018– Today, the Chamber of Commerce held their annual general meeting. The Chamber is currently in its 98th year of operation, which makes it the longest serving private-sector organization in Belize.

 Kim Aikman, CEO of the Chamber, told Amandala that the central theme of this year’s meeting is anti-corruption. She stated that, “corruption is the root of all the inefficiencies that we have in the economic climate right now.”

Aikman mentioned that they insisted on the government’s signing on to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. They were able to have a guest speaker from Fiji,  Mihaela Stojkoska, who is the United Nations Development Program’s senior anti-corruption expert, join them via Skype.

Aikman also stated that this is an election year for them. There are ten persons who are vying for five positions on the executive council. Tomorrow, they will issue a press release announcing the members of the newly elected council.

The president of the Chamber of Commerce, Nikita Usher, however, will retain his position, since there have been no eligible contenders for the post.