SOME 120 acres of land have been earmarked in Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni Mazaruni), to build approximately 500 houses.

This was announced by President, Dr Irfaan Ali, on Wednesday, during an outreach held at the Bartica Community Centre Ground.

The President said there was focus on ensuring that resources from within the Region were used during the development of the project.

“We have just gotten 120 acres of land, and we are going to work with the people in Bartica: the skilled men and women of Bartica, the small contractors, the skilled contractors in Region Seven,” President Ali noted.

According to the President, the project is expected to begin before the end of the year.

“Very soon, before the end of August, the Minister [of Housing and Water] will come to meet with you because we want to use that 120 acres of land to build at least 500 homes here using the labour and contractors of Region Seven,” Dr Ali continued.

The project is expected to have a ripple effect on the Region, particularly Bartica. Surrounding areas will benefit.

“This will not only deliver housing but create tremendous opportunities in the value chain for hardware resources, skilled labour, [and] transportation services. All of this will be created with this one project,” the Head of State explained.

In addition to the development of the 120 acres of land, the government is also working on an infrastructure transformation plan which will see all the communities on the outskirts of the region being linked to central Bartica, further opening up development.

The President highlighted that Region Seven has the potential for development in the services, agriculture and tourism industry which government plans to advance.

“We need to create a service hub in Region Seven in a very structured way. We already have a lot of investment catering to the service industry but it’s not structured,” the President said.

Additionally, Dr Ali hopes there will be more focus on food production. “We have to work on using technology and increase our ability to produce more food in this region,” the President added.

“This area must not only be looked at as a mining area but it has potential to become a major logistic operation for the mining sector. In order to do that, you must be able to provide food and provide services,” President Ali said.