CONTRACTS to the tune of some $750 million have been awarded to 13 contractors for the construction of the first 100 homes in Williamsurg/Hampshire, Corentyne, Berbice.

On Saturday, the contractors attended a contract-signing ceremony with Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Sherwyn Greaves, at the Berbice Chamber of Commerce office, Rose Hall Town, Berbice.

This signing will see commencement of construction for 100 20×30 ft, two-bedroom flat units within the next few weeks.

The contracts have been awarded to Cardinal Enterprise, S.A.H Construction & Supplies, A.A. Construction, Singh and Sons Construction, Vickram’s Contracting Services, JS Engineering Services and Supplies, N.
Ramnarine Construction, Rasheid Construction, SAWA Investment Inc., Ramsarran & Sons Construction, Triple A Construction, E.C.S Construction and General Supplies and Feroze Construction Services.

Greaves, in his remarks, said this venture should be seen as an indication of greater plans for the housing sector in Region Six. He explained that in another few weeks, contracts will be signed for an additional 100 housing units at Ordinance Fortlands.

“We are extremely pleased to do this, we are excited for what these homes will do for this region; job creation is a big focus, so if you calculate six persons per house, that will translate into 600 jobs,” he said.
He added that the Housing Ministry has been mandated by President Dr. Irfaan Ali to deliver 22,000 housing units over the next four years.

“We are well on our way to meeting this target as we have commenced construction of units to meet all income brackets in Cummings Lodge, Prospect, Providence and Linden.”

Minister Croal also noted that the project is another promise delivered by President Ali as the government forges ahead with its robust housing drive to deliver 50,000 house lots over the next four years. The minister added that over the coming months, the Central Housing and Planning Authority’s Project Department will be spearheading other infrastructure works in the scheme.

These works will transform the landscape and boost economic activity in the region. Croal implored the contractors to utilise skills from within the region.

“The transportation sector will benefit, the suppliers will benefit from this project. Altogether, there will be massive economic activity which is a great spin-off from the housing and construction sector.”
In explaining the beneficiary selection process, Croal said persons will be selected from the agency’s database who indicated an interest in building units.

“We will go into our database and, based on the request, we will issue those persons with pre-qualification letters so that they can engage a financial institution of their choice for a loan,” the minister said.
To date, there are some 400 applicants who have indicated their interest in securing a built housing unit in the region.

Also, as the demand continues to grow for housing in Region Six, the Housing and Water Ministry is actively engaging the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC) and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to acquire more lands.

In December 2020, during an outreach, President Ali announced his government’s housing plan for the region, committing to deliver housing units for families.