Pres Ali says housing now Region 6’s top priority

…as Govt receives 3124 new housing applications this year

Housing has emerged as the number one priority for residents of Region Six (East Berbice–Corentyne), overtaking drainage and irrigation (D&I), which previously dominated the list but has now fallen to last place. This was confirmed by President Dr Irfaan Ali during a press conference held on Friday at Albion, where he detailed shifting priorities and provided updated figures on housing demand, allocations and regularisation efforts. President Ali explained that an analysis of recent Cabinet outreach consultations shows that the people of Region Six are increasingly focused on home ownership, residential lands, and support for small business growth – marking a decisive shift away from the 2020–2025 period when drainage and irrigation ranked highest due to years of neglect.

“Today, as we completed the analysis so far, D&I is now the lowest-ranked priority for the region. And that is not to say there is still not a lot of work to be done, but that is to say that people are experiencing the results of the investments that we have made,” the President said, adding that the change reflects “the results of the investments that we have made.” He continued, “We see the number one priority now, so far from the analysis in the region, being housing, followed by lands and survey land issues, followed by the desire to own small businesses, local Government and public works issues, human services and public service generally, education, health, and D&I services.”

Surge in housing demand
Addressing the growing demand, President Ali disclosed that the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) has been faced with a surge in new applications.
“The number of applications we have in the system is close to 8500. From January to October 2025 alone… we have received 3124 new applications,” he disclosed.
The President attributed this spike directly to Government policy interventions aimed at encouraging home ownership. “That is a direct response to the policy agenda of the Government, incentivising homeownership and creating an enabling environment to stimulate homeownership,” he stated. To meet this demand, he announced that 4,600 residential lots are currently available under ongoing infrastructure upgrades: Moleson Creek – 1200; Palmyra – 1300; and Glasgow and Overwinning – 2300.
“So that when you look at the current demand and what we have in the system, there is a deficit of 3249, of which we still have to find land for,” President Ali noted. To bridge this gap, the Government will pursue land acquisition in new areas, including Springlands, Number 77 Village, Hogstye, and further expansion in the Moleson Creek area.
He also revealed that Government has been receiving a lot of commercial business proposals for the region and that over the next three weeks, the Housing Ministry will be examining those proposals so that we can make the necessary allocation.”

Informal settlements
A major announcement was the Government’s new push to regularise long-standing informal settlements across Region Six. “In terms of informal settlements, we will be regularising 25 sub-settlements, which will result in the regularisation of almost ,000 house lots. These areas include Nigg, Belvedere, and Hampshire,” the President confirmed. He said this drive is part of a broader effort to ensure that persons occupying lands for many years can finally receive secure documentation.
The Head of State also outlined special initiatives for communities where residents have lived without ownership for generations. Seventy families of Number 46 Village, who have been living on the lands for generations dating back to over 100 years, will get titles for those lands before June 2026. Over 25 of these will be ready by the end of January 2026, and the rest will be completed before June,” President Ali announced.
He stressed that the state has taken on the financial burden to make this possible.
“The state purchased the land from private persons and distributed it to those who have been in occupation, and therefore the occupants now get clean titles. It’s important… that the state has borne and will continue to bear all of the costs related to these transactions. The legal fees, the surveying fees, the filing fees, and the acquisition. And I think this is not only commendable, but this must be the first country… in which the state is acting in this manner in the interest of our people,” the President said. He noted that many defunct co-op societies in the region still control or have in their possession hundreds of acres of land which persons occupy without leases. “We have to take steps now to vest these leases in the occupants’ names,” he said, while pointing out that frequent legal challenges and disputes often delay block surveys and the registration of titles and leases. To tackle this, he said, “We now would set up a special team to conduct an occupational survey with the inclusion of communities themselves and grant leases from the master lease. This will bring the leases in line with lawful land occupation.”
He added that the Cabinet will appoint a subcommittee to deal specifically with other land issues across the region with a view to regularising occupation.

Priority shift
President Ali said the shift in the region’s priority profile shows that people are now becoming very aligned with the policy agenda of the Government. “So, issues of home ownership, owning small businesses, owning agricultural land and expanding agricultural production, quality of service, whether it’s GWI (Guyana Water Inc), GPL (Guyana Power & Light), or health services – these are now occupying the priority of people,” he explained. He emphasised that investments in drainage, irrigation, healthcare, education, and other sectors have reduced the burden on citizens and allowed them to focus on building better lives. “This region is going to undergo massive infrastructure, economic, and investment transformation… not only from the gas, but in terms of tourism, in terms of modern infrastructure, healthcare, education, private investment,” the President said, noting that the overall policy framework is geared towards “economic growth and transformation in the region.” He further stressed that the Government’s manifesto remains aligned identically with the priorities of the people because it was built “bottom up, with the involvement of the people, with consultation, and building a team approach to what we want to accomplish as a Government and as a people.”