Undoubtedly the government’s housing programme has been a huge success with scores of new housing schemes emerging all over the country and over 100,000 proud new home owners since the aggressive and consistent housing programme began in 1993.
But apart from providing housing for people, the housing programme has spurred the growth of construction and hardware and building materials businesses as well as creating jobs. This in turn has had a healthy impact on the national economy.
What is also significant about the housing programme is that the housing programme had to be started virtually from scratch because it will be recalled that the previous government scrapped the Ministry of Housing and the housing programme which was part of its much touted 1972-1976 Feed, House and Clothe (FCH) the nation development appropriately renamed ‘Fool, Hoax and Cochore’ the nation. Under this ambitious five-year plan 65,000 housing units should have been built. However, a hapless 13,000 units were built by the end of 1976 and shortly after the Housing Ministry and the housing programme went through the window. And there began a huge cry for house lots triggering skyrocketing house rentals and squatting.
So when this government came to office it was an extremely difficult task to put housing into its proper perspective and focus. But with its deep commitment towards improving the living conditions of all the Guyanese people it worked relentlessly on formulating and implementing a sound housing policy and programme and that is why there is a housing boom across this country. The cynics, one of whom refers to this government as fascist and a dictatorship, will of course deny this reality. However, those households and families who waited for decades to own a plot of land and a home but today that dream has come true for them who know differently.
One of the commendable aspects of the housing programme is that it has been focusing heavily on ensuring low income earners are facilitated in fulfilling their housing needs through low income housing projects.
And in this regard, Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali, recently disclosed that the second batch of projects under the Low Income Settlement (LIS) programme will see some $655M being expended and about 9,500 persons benefiting.

“As you are aware, early this year we would have awarded a number of contracts under the Low Income One programme. Those contracts, of course, are in the process of execution and most of the projects are ahead of schedule,” he assured.
He said they have had good performance, and all the projects in the existing communities are monitored by local groups and also the ministry’s internal supervision team.
He reminded that the first set of projects would have brought a number of new house lots, including in Region Six (Upper Corentyne/Berbice) and Tuschen in Region Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara).
“In the second batch of projects, our focus is not only on creating new house lots, but on upgrading existing housing schemes and also providing basic infrastructure in regularised squatting areas,” he underscored.
He said that the second batch of projects focuses on three areas: new areas, existing areas, and regularized squatting areas.
Alluding to projects in new areas, he said that there are two areas that they are developing in Non Pariel on the East Coast of Demerara, one being developed under Government of Guyana which is Non Pariel ‘DD’ located on the highway, and that would create more than 600 house lots.
So the housing momentum has been maintained and perhaps even increased in recent years and at this rate probably in another decade Guyana would be close to adequately meet its housing needs.