BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

Literacy program to begin
in March

The literacy program that 50,000 teachers committed to follow last year is due to begin in March. Teachers have committed to spend two hours per week to teach illiterate Hondurans how to read and write. The Secretary of Education held a meeting this week to discuss the details of the program, which will be implemented in the 18 departments of the country, staring in the areas where there is a higher index rate of illiteracy. It is expected that the program will reach one million illiterate Hondurans. El Heraldo

Plans to construct new
wharf

The North American company, DMJM Harris, will be looking into the feasibility of investing $20 million in a construction of a new wharf for solid bulks in Puerto Cortes. The United States government donated $470,000, about nine million lempiras, to prepare the conceptual bases and technical lines that will help in the planning and operation of the future terminal. The new facilities will be designed to improve the operative efficiency of the port. The productivity of the system also looks set to improve, as better technology will decrease negative environmental impacts and health impacts on workers experienced with the current technology. El Heraldo

Gross Internal Product
remains constant

Civil employees and representatives of the major financial institutions agree that the Honduran economy will register a pattern this year similar to last year. The expected growth is at 6%, close to the 5.6% growth last year. Indications are that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will be influenced by both national and foreign investment. The President of the Central Bank of Honduras, Gabriela Núñez, stated that it is mainly the continued prosperous internal conditions that will allow for this continued growth. The stability of the national currency and the sustainability of interest rates are other factors that encourage investments in Honduras, positively affecting the GDP. El Heraldo

Soptravi delaying housing
plans funded by IADB

Last October the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) granted $30 million to help develop the housing sector in Honduras. However, in order to receive the money, the Secretary of Public Work, Transport and Housing (Soptravi) needs to present how the housing plan will be executed, which they still have not done. When the program is implemented, it will improve the living conditions of 12,200 families and provide access to basic urban infrastructure to thousands living in informal housing. There will also be a fund available, where individuals can be granted up to $2,000 to purchase new homes or to construct homes on plots of land. Grants of up to $1,000 will also be available for individuals to make improvements on their existing homes. El Heraldo

A million more cell phone
users

Tigo and Claro, the two operators of cellular telephony, reported a million more registered users during 2006, compared with 2005. At the end of 2006 there were 2.24 million active cell phone lines, while there were only 1.22 million on 31st of December 2005, according to the National Commission of Telecommunications (Conatel). Now, 30 of every 100 Hondurans have a cell phone, compared with only 17 the previous year. El Heraldo