Govt tackling housing backlog, surpasses 41,000 distribution mark

– 15,000 lots to be delivered by July

The Government of Guyana has intensified its efforts to address the longstanding housing backlog, successfully surpassing the 41,000 mark in housing allocations.
Of that number, 18,000 lots were allocated to young women, while more than 20,000 young people, aged 21 to 35, have become homeowners or landowners.
With a strong commitment to fulfilling its campaign promise of delivering 50,000 house lots within five years, the administration has taken significant steps to accelerate housing distribution nationwide.

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal announced on Friday during a ‘Dream Realised’ exercise in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) that all applications across the ten administrative regions are being processed, with a particular focus on reducing pending applications in Region Four (Demerara- Mahaica).
The Government has also committed to distributing an additional 30,000 house lots between 2026 and 2027, with an emphasis on meeting the housing needs of young people.
According to Minister Croal, a plan was devised late 2024 to deliver on this promise in a comprehensive manner.
“On Christmas Eve a few of us got a call – and you know Christmas Eve you’re thinking about next day or you can finish work early, right? And you leave… summons by his excellency the President, you have 24 hours from this is Christmas Eve to come up with a plan as to how we will clear the backlog in the system. By December 31, pending applications were estimated at 6,000 to 7,000, with Region Two alone accounting for approximately 2,500”.
“I have therefore with me – we call this the Bible – this is the document we’re working with; an outline… every two days we’ve been updating it by region; how we will be able to clear the backlog or the prior years of the pending applicants,” the Minister explained.
Croal explained that one of the key challenges in clearing the backlog is securing suitable land, as housing competes with other sectors, particularly agricultureTo address this challenge, the Government has been collaborating closely with the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC), as well as the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), to secure land for new housing developments.
The Minister noted that proper stakeholder engagement will play a crucial role in fulfilling his Ministry’s task of ensuring that at least 15,000 of these lots are delivered by July 2025.
“When during the budget presentation doing the calculations, I was informed that by June we must accomplish 15,000 of that 25,000. Yesterday Minister Rodrigues and myself were told that we must accomplish this by July of this year.”
“It’s a lot of work. It is Government’s priority to ensure that this happens, because in the four and a half years since we are back in Government, close to 250 billion dollars have been invested in the housing programme or the housing sector in four and a half years,” he disclosed.
With a clear strategy in place, the Ministry of Housing and Water is confident that the backlog will be significantly reduced in the coming months.
The Government’s continued investment in housing infrastructure is expected to improve the quality of life for thousands of Guyanese families and contribute to the country’s overall economic development.