Today Guyana proudly hosts its second Building Expo at the Guyana National Stadium and from all reports it will be a huge event which showcases our quantum leap in housing development as well as what is planned for the future.

It is a most fitting event because undoubtedly our housing programme and development has been extremely impressive and perhaps is the best within CARICOM.

What is even more incredible is that the housing programme began from virtually ground zero from 1993. Prior to that, there was an absence of any national housing policy and programme. In fact, the Housing Ministry was scrapped resulting in widespread squatting and chaos as the demand for housing continuously increased.

Earlier an ambitious five-year ‘Feed, House and Clothe’ the nation development plan (1972-1976) collapsed with only 13,000 housing units built out of a projected 65,000 units.

It is therefore breathtaking when one considers what is taking place currently in housing development. What is also significant is the fact that the housing boom has generated tremendous job and business opportunities, particularly with respect to hardware and construction.

Commercial businesses have grown as a result of this boom, with several commercial banks and other service oriented businesses have established branches in the new housing schemes.

Unfortunately, we still have some in our midst, those who continue to insist that nothing positive is happening in this country and, in doing so, attempt to taint and distort reality. The good news is that these cynics cannot stop the wheel of progress and therefore they are not much of a concern.

These cynics should also take cognisance of the old adage: “You can fool some of the people all the time and all the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all of the time.”
Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali said Guyana’s second international building expo would have one of the largest investment delegations and that, coming from Trinidad alone, there are over 70 investors coming into Guyana for the Building Expo.

The minister alluded to a remark by a Trinidadian investor who, after touring the site, exclaimed: “Nowhere in the Caribbean could one see this kind of investment.”  He was speaking of the models and exhibits being showcased at the Expo.

Ali said that on display are items in 135 booths, as well as full-scale core model homes, among a plethora of other innovative exhibits and encouraged that this year’s Expo also provides to entrepreneurs expanded opportunities to allow themselves and their businesses to grow.
According to Minister Ali, this Expo would appeal to all stakeholders at every level in the construction sector. This second Expo has also gone beyond the ground making first Expo, which had been touted at international levels, because of its surpassingly high standard.

Enumerating the achievements of his Ministry, Ali said that for this year alone, there has been 5,000 new landowners, with 1,000 allocations during the last month, for whom titles would soon be provided.

The facts and figures speak for themselves, so the doubting “Thomases” could continue on their futile and ill-fated distortion campaign.

The Building Expo will certainly help to extol the virtues and successes of Guyana’s housing development programme which has reached unprecedented heights.