As part of its aggressive housing drive, the Housing and Water Ministry is expected to hand over more than 2100 landownership documents to allottees during the ongoing International Building Expo 2025.
The distribution of titles and transports got underway Friday, with 822 documents available on-site at the National Stadium for allottees to uplift.
Housing and Water Ministers, Collin Croal and Susan Rodrigues, presented the first set of documents to allottees, taking them one step closer to homeownership.
An additional 1342 titles and transports will be ready for collection today and Sunday during the Ministry’s hallmark exhibition. Persons can visit the Housing and Water Ministry’s website to view the list of persons who have landownership documents ready for pickup.
Moreover, some 300 allottees from the Two Friends Housing Scheme (Phase 1), East Coast Demerara, were also targeted to sign and receive their Agreements of Sale on Friday – another important step toward obtaining their Titles and Transports.
Today, allottees from the Two Friends Housing Scheme (Phase 2) will have their signing, followed by La Bonne Intention (Block 3) allottees on Sunday.
Held under the theme “The Road to Success: Guyana 2030 and Beyond”, International Building Expo 2025 was officially launched Thursday evening, during which Minister Croal reflected on the unprecedented transformation that the housing sector had experienced over the last five years.
With an investment of over $250 billion in those five years, more than 20,000 new lands were developed in various housing schemes countrywide. During that period, the Ministry also processed some 20,000 titles, of which 13,000 have already been distributed. This figure will increase further, with the 2100 documents slated to be distributed this weekend.
In addition, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has built some 3000 turnkey homes and distributed more than 50,000 house lots, in keeping with its 2020 manifesto promises. To complement the mass house lot distribution, over 500 kilometres of community roads have been paved.
According to Minister Croal, “…50,000 families now have a place to call their own; 50,000 families now have the key to financial security, and 50,000 families are now part of a new Guyana rising before our eyes… By 2030, we are not only aiming for zero backlog in housing allocations but also to ensure that every new scheme has roads, drainage, lighting, schools, health centres and the infrastructure that makes a community thrive.”
Steel and cement subsidy initiative
As part of its aggressive housing drive, the PPP/C Government had rolled out a number of initiatives over the last five years to push homeownership. Among these is the steel and cement subsidy initiative, which aims to assist Guyanese citizens in constructing their homes, regardless of whether the land is Government-allocated or privately owned.
To date, some 2500 Guyanese have benefited from over $500,000 in subsidies, with this number expected to further increase.
In fact, during the International Building Expo on Friday, more than 330 first-time homebuilders received this essential assistance. The distribution of cement and steel vouchers was overseen by both Ministers Croal and Rodrigues.
Under this programme, homes valued at $6 million and below will receive one voucher for a sling of cement and steel. Builders constructing homes estimated between $6 million and $25 million will benefit from two slings of cement.
This support is expected to significantly relieve the financial burden on new homeowners and expedite the construction process.
According to the Ministry, “The ongoing distribution of cement and steel vouchers highlights the Government’s commitment to promoting affordable housing and empowering Guyanese families to achieve their dream of homeownership. Since its introduction in 2023, the Cement and Steel initiative has positively impacted the housing sector and continues to contribute to the overall development of the nation.”
Meanwhile, also reflecting on the Government achievements over the last five years, Minister Rodrigues pointed out during Thursday’s opening ceremony that of the more than 50,000 house lots distributed, some 21,493 went to single women. Additionally, some 54 per cent of the allocations went to young people, while 90 per cent went to low-income families.
“The lives of these families are being changed forever, and they are now on the trajectory of accessing financing, owning a home and providing a place that is safe and secure for their families in a community that will be fully equipped with infrastructure, utilities, access to Government services and recreational facilities,” Minister Rodrigues stated.
