Over 350 exhibitors showcase services at Int’l Building Expo 2023

– expo saw new innovative technologies, international companies seeking to establish local standings

The curtains were pulled on the Housing and Water Ministry’s four-day International Building Expo on Sunday, which gave over 350 exhibitors the opportunity to display useful products and services within the housing sector.
The exposition was described as a major success by subject Minister, Collin Croal during a recent televised programme, “The Guyana Dialogue.”
“In the sense of showcasing our country, showcasing construction and building innovative technologies in this sector – yes, we have achieved that objective,” Croal said.
The two main goals the Ministry aimed to attain through the expo, Croal explained, were to give the public the chance to acquaint themselves with relevant companies that appeal to their interests, and to allow stakeholders to effectively network.
“I’ve met a few companies that came and participated in this expo. They were new companies, they didn’t have a local branch, and they didn’t have much networking locally. But coming out of the expo, they were able to establish relationships so that they can have agents or they can set up local offices here just because they were using the expo as a feeler for the industry,” Croal said.

The event, held at the National Stadium in Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD) from August 24-27, saw the attendance of close to 50,000 paying patrons, with Sunday seeing the most foot traffic, according to Croal.

Participating companies included Windsor Estates, which offered a glimpse of their luxury gated community slated for establishment within Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD); Excel Guyana launched its new subsidiary company, Excel Guyana EPI Inc; and Unicomer Guyana launched Courts Business Solutions (CBS), a division of its Courts brand, that provides customers with a one-stop-shop suite of solutions to help secure their product purchases.
Within the expo, the Housing Ministry also hosted another one of its “Dream Realised” Housing Drives during which 2000 persons were allocated their house lots and some 600 received their Certificates of Title.
Subsequent to this house lot distribution exercise, the Ministry has now allocated about 26,000 lots countrywide, forming part of their five-year commitment to deliver 50,000 house lots by 2025.
In response to questions raised about how lots are assigned and their distribution among the population, Croal clarified that allocation is done without racial bias.
“First of all, we don’t determine where you’re going, in any case. You don’t know your neighbour; you’re pulling from an envelope so it’s spontaneous where your lots fall. And so, we remove any biases in terms of placement,” Croal said.
“The Government does not ask your ethnicity in the application,” he added, noting that this applies to programmes carried out across Ministries.