After 3 ½ years and US$40 million in projects, the Inter-American Development Bank's representative in Belize Hugo Souza departs on Thursday.
Souza was assigned to Belize in September of 2000 and has been here through 2 hurricanes, the contentious IDB funded NHI pilot project, and a general election. He weathered it all and now the 62-year-old Souza is leaving Belize because he is retiring from the IDB.
We caught up with Souza today as he made final preparations to leave and he reflected on his time in Belize.
Hugo Souza, Departing IDB Representative
"In the last 3 ½ years we worked with the government in fantastic projects like tourism development and we also helped in the priva6te sector in the inauguration of the Tilapia project. We also worked with the agriculture sector in projects like BAHA that allow Belize now to export shrimps to European Union. So we have been helping a lot of government, public, and private institutions to create a better Belize and to help the improvement of Belize and the Belizean people."
"My biggest accomplishment is that the bank is very well known and also my predecessor did a lot of work in that area and my biggest accomplishment is that the bank has serious projects with Belize and the IDB will continue helping to the development to Belize and Belizeans."
Souza leaves on Thursday for Washington where he will retire and spend time with his grandchildren. Souza will be replaced by Rodrigo Maten who is from El Salvador.