–facilities to be equipped with shade houses; training opportunities to be extended to beneficiaries

THE Government of Guyana continues to emphasise innovation and productivity as major benchmarks for national development. President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali recently provided an update on the homestead project, an ambitious initiative announced in early August during the launch of Building Expo.

The $6 billion project aims to construct 500 homes along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, focusing on single-parent households. These homesteads will be equipped with a shade house and training opportunities, fostering sustainable economic empowerment. Works are said to commence soon on the collaborative project, with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Housing, Lands and Survey, the Office of the Prime Minister, and the Ministry of Human Services all working together.

Addressing a crowd at the commissioning ceremony of the Yarrowkabra Secondary School last Thursday, President Ali shared, “As I speak to you, we are concluding plans to develop what we call a 500-homestead facility, where single moms, single parents will realise their dream of homeownership. But at the same time, realising their hope and dream of homeownership with economic empowerment.”
The President emphasised the project’s economic aspect, stating that, “In every one of those homes, we will be connecting an economic venture. We will be connecting a shade house; where they will be trained to produce food for the market.”

Each plot of land is slated to feature several coconut or breadfruit trees in the front yard and the installation of a 20 x 40 shade house to the rear of the house.
Highlighting the investment scale, President Ali stated, “First of all, for this community, understand that when we talk about 500 homes, just multiply y about 6.5 million dollars for a home and then, 4 billion dollars per acre for infrastructure, you will see billions of dollars of investment to support this project.”

The government expects significant returns, with each home projected to generate substantial revenue. As the President outlined, “We are talking about the sustainability of the project, operating in an optimal way. Each one of these homes, when you look at the cost generation, the revenue and cost generation, each one of these homes will be turning over a million dollars every year. That’s 500 million dollars. We’re talking about a 500-million-dollar industry in the agri-food space that we are creating with this investment.”

The project primarily targets single-parent families. Ali emphasised, “But outside of that annual revenue, look at what it supports. It supports single-parent-led households. It supports children being empowered to go to school. It supports their economic empowerment, financial empowerment.”

He added that this initiative is just the beginning, noting, “Mostly, it will be the single parents from the Linden-Soesdyke Highway and on the East Bank who have applications in the system who are being evaluated now. And this is a model we want to take across the country, to support education, community empowerment, social empowerment, economic and financial empowerment.”

The President also hinted at plans to increase national productivity. “Very soon I will be announcing a special programme that will look at every household in the country to see how we can improve productivity, how we can invest in households to improve productivity.”

This homestead project aligns with the government’s focus on innovative solutions for housing and economic development. By combining housing with agricultural opportunities, Guyana aims to create sustainable communities that contribute to the country’s growth and food security.

The initiative represents a significant step in addressing housing needs while simultaneously empowering single-parent households economically. As the project moves from planning to implementation, it is expected to have a substantial impact on both the beneficiaries and the broader Guyanese economy.