The Guyana Government disbursed more than 20,500 house lots between August 2020 and December 2022, marking a significant increase in the number of allocations done during the 2015 -2020 stewardship of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) regime.
Making the disclosure today was the Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal during his contribution to the ongoing 2023 budget debates being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
The government has allocated $54.5B this year for housing development in new and existing areas, including the construction of roads, drains, bridges, and the installation of utilities to meet housing demands.
This allocation, the minister said, builds on the gains made in 2020 and 2021. Aside from the allocation of house lots, Minister Croal told the House that some 44 new housing areas were opened up since the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) assumed office in 2020.
He also noted that his ministry oversaw the upgrading and installation of infrastructure in 43 existing housing areas. It also constructed 827 low, moderate, and young professionals houses, with an additional 527 in various stages of construction. Guyana Standard understands that the investment cost for these houses is pegged at more than $7B.
Minister Croal noted further that his ministry was able to regularise six squatting areas and reduce squatter settlements from 19 to 13. Additionally, some 4256 certificates of titles and transports were distributed.
The minister noted that while the demand for housing is not new, it has increased exponentially and is now at an all-time high. He added that his government continues to explore and implement ways to make owning a home more affordable.
