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Yesterday in Barbados, the President of the CDB also discussed Belize's high national debt.  Of the 19 Borrowing Member Countries of the CDB, 10 of them showed a decreasing debt to GDP ratio, while that ratio was above 60% in 9 of them - including Belize - where debt is close to 100% of GDP.  

That high level of debt is considered unsustainable - and President Smith told Courtney Weatherburne it will limit Belize's growth:â€Â¦

Dr. William Warren Smith, President Caribbean Development Bank
"I think that Belize in many respects a good story, the debt is a risk but I don't think at this particular point in time it is a tremendous risk but it is something that is going to constrain your growth until your able to bring it down to what we consider to be the safe benchmark of 60% of GDP."

On the upside, President Smith noted that Belize has achieved a primary surplus, which comes out of its commitment to bondholders in the Superbond 3.0 agreement.