Investors welcome, as works on Silica City moving apace – Min Croal

Infrastructure works on Silica City along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway are progressing smoothly, and according to Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal, the Government is open to expressions of interest to fund mega projects.
Phase One, which includes the construction of 100 residential homes as well as the development of apartment buildings, malls, condominiums, restaurants, and other amenities, is moving apace.

However, the Minister added that investors are needed for several major projects. “We welcome expressions of interest and investors for this mega project,” Croal said, noting that Silica City, like the Building Expo, is the brainchild of President Dr Irfaan Ali, who has been working to expand and boost the housing sector to make homeownership a reality for every citizen.

Silica City is expected to be Guyana’s first smart urban centre, powered by renewable energy and developed by adhering to the revised Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Goal 11 of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which speaks to building sustainable cities and communities.
For its first five years, the highly anticipated secondary city of Guyana will initially cater to just over 3000 households before growing to house more than 12,500 households once completed.
In February, a $2.1 billion contract was signed to commence the infrastructure works on the initial 109 acres of the 3000-acre land that has been designated for Silica City.
In an effort to improve the lives of residents from several communities and squatter settlements along the highway, President Ali during a previous visit had announced that there would be three new regularised housing developments established along the major roadway.
Meanwhile, Minister Croal expanded on the work the Housing Ministry has done over the years to honour their commitment of distributing 50,000 house lots by 2025 and regularising several informal settlements in the process.
“For 2023 alone, we have allocated over 4600 residential lots and 115 commercial lots. We have regularised 224 informal lots, and established 15 new housing developments on the East Bank Demerara (EBD) and East Coast Demerara (ECD), since the last expo,” Croal said.
“We have provided 258 home improvement subsidies, handed out 927 Steel and Cement Vouchers and allocated 184 homes,” Croal said. “We have completed the construction of 955 houses within two years.”
He noted that upon completion of the Ministry’s “Dream Realised” Housing Drive exercise taking place at this year’s expo, in which 2000 house lots are being allocated, the total number of lots distributed will increase to 27,000.