Sweeping reform as Pres Ali announces land issues overhaul in East Berbice-Corentyne

…to tackle backlogs, titles, new acreages, co-op fixes

By Andrew Carmicheal

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Friday announced a wide-ranging plan to tackle long-standing land issues in Region Six (East Berbice–Corentyne), promising to clear backlogs at the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC), regularise defunct co-ops, and bring tens of thousands of acres of land into productive use. Speaking at a press conference at Albion at the end of a two-day Cabinet outreach, the President said land and survey matters have emerged as one of the top priorities for residents of the region, second only to housing. “Lands and Surveys, I said, was one of the areas that generated significant interest. In this region, we have total applications in the system, 289 applications,” Ali told reporters. He explained that while the number of applications may appear modest, the acreage requested far exceeds what is immediately available through GL&SC.
“While that number seems small, the request for applications in terms of the total acreage of land that is applied for is far beyond the supply available. So, first, we must recognise that there is a demand–supply mismatch of land available at the Guyana Lands and Surveys,” the President said. Of the 289 applications, Ali said 89 files are at GL&SC’s head office in Georgetown, while 200 files are at New Amsterdam, Skeldon, and Black Bush Polder, many of them very old. The President then detailed the lands currently under GL&SC’s control in Region Six, along with new areas now being pursued. “We have 1,000 acres available at New Mara. We have 1,000 acres surveyed there,” he said, referring to lands along the East Bank of Berbice (EBD). “We have 5,000 acres at Mara, which needs four miles of road extension to allow access to these lands,” the Head of State added while noting that the region also has 20,000 acres available for a cattle pasture, surveyed into 100-acre plots. “We have 3,000 acres at the back of Manaribisi. We have 15,000 acres along the Corentyne River between the Eldorado and Orealla boundary. That is what is available.”

New acreage
In addition to the lands already surveyed, the Government is moving to open up even more acreage. “The new acreage that we are pursuing totals 24,000 acres. So, these are the lands that are available and that we are pursuing at the moment,” President Ali disclosed. He noted that several areas are also being prepared for regularisation to give long-standing occupants secure titles.
“Liverpool, we have 52 plots where regularisation will have been completed. Manchester Second Depth, we have 59 plots completed. Then we have Number 50 Village, Leeds. The work here is completed, and it’s now before the land court,” he said. Acknowledging that GL&SC is currently burdened by a heavy workload, the President announced that additional resources will be deployed specifically to Region Six to fast-track outstanding cases. “The first is that we recognise the burdensome load that is before the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission. We’re therefore going to expand the capacity of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission with a special project team that will look at all outstanding applications here for Region Six.”

Titles
He also promised long-awaited titles for residents of Number 46 Village who have been living on land for generations. “Seventy families of Number 46 Village have been living on lands for generations, dating back to over 100 years will get titles for those lands before June 2026,” Ali said, noting that more than 25 of those titles should be ready by the end of January 2026. The President stressed that the State is bearing all the costs of these transactions. “It’s important… that the state has borne and will continue to bear all of the costs related to these transactions,” he said. “The legal fees, the surveying fees, the filing fees, and the acquisition.”
Defunct co-ops
Meanwhile, noting that defunct co-ops hold hundreds of acres, President Ali identified these defunct co-operative societies as one of the most troublesome land issues in the region. Many of these entities still hold leases for large tracts of land that are now occupied by residents without legal documentation.
The third issue which is a very difficult issue in this region, and we must admit this, is that dozens of co-op societies have become defunct. They own or have in their possession hundreds of acres of land that persons have been occupying without leases,” the President said. “We have to take steps now to vest these leases in the occupants’ names,” he added. However, the Head of State pointed out that legal disputes over ownership are slowing down block surveys and delaying the issuance of titles. “Almost on a weekly basis, there is a legal filing, there are controversies, there are challenges to land ownership. Two conflicts in an entire block can hold up the entire block, the leases or titles for that entire block,” Ali noted.
To break the logjam, the Government will move to conduct detailed on-the-ground surveys with community participation. “In this regard, 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,” the President explained. He added that the Cabinet will appoint a subcommittee to deal specifically with land disputes and regularisation efforts in Region Six. “This subcommittee will be working on the ground to receive reports on all challenges and issues that will help us to make informed decisions,” Ali said. By clearing the 289 applications, opening up thousands of acres for agriculture and settlement, regularising long-standing occupations, and fixing problems caused by defunct co-ops, Ali said his administration aims to ensure that land distribution in Region Six is people-centred and guided by fairness and legality. “No issue must be allowed to escape the loop of Government,” he told reporters. “We are closing that loop in a very comprehensive and integrated way.”