—More than 500 receive housing updates as thousands engage ministers, officials

RESIDENTS seeking answers to personal and community concerns left Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo’s latest public day outreach in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) with more than just promises, as government officials moved swiftly to address issues on the spot.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the event, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, said nearly 95 per cent of the concerns raised during the morning period of the engagement were resolved immediately, underscoring what he described as the effectiveness of taking government services directly to citizens.
Meanwhile, Minister of Housing, Collin Croal, noted that more than 500 Guyanese received updates on their land applications, certificates of title and housing matters, as well as information on ongoing housing developments within the region.
The exercise unfolded against the backdrop of what both ministers described as Region Three’s rapid transformation, driven by major infrastructural projects, expanding business activity and sustained economic growth.
Minister Mustapha was among a team of ministers, ministry officials and regional leaders who participated in Friday’s public day outreach at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora.
As one of the country’s largest and fastest-developing regions, the event attracted thousands of residents from across the region who came to have their concerns heard and addressed.
Reflecting on the exercise, Mustapha said the engagement allowed citizens to interact directly with elected officials.
“I think this is a very good way of getting people to be directly interacting, but more importantly, with elected officials. Although we are holding outreaches across the country, and we have regular outreaches and regular community meetings, sometimes one-on-one communication can be lacking,” he said.
He added that even during the early stages of the engagement, after speaking with more than 100 persons, the majority of concerns had already been addressed.
“I would have spoken to over 100 persons already, individually, people who raised issues, people who have personal issues, and most of those issues, almost 95 per cent of those issues, were resolved right here this morning,” he said.

The outreach follows similar exercises held in Regions Two, Four, Five and Six.

According to Mustapha, the regional public days fulfil a People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) manifesto commitment to bring government services closer to the people.
“Our government, the PPP/C government, the President himself, is encouraging all members of Cabinet to come out and have these interactions. I think this activity is very important. This is a big region. Region Two, Region Three, Four, Five, Six; people are looking forward to these activities and coming here to have their concerns heard,” he said.
Moreover, he noted that the public day provides residents with a one-on-one opportunity to address both personal and community-related concerns.
“At community meetings and other engagements, people might raise issues of concern in their community, issues that affect the community, but here you have a one-to-one approach, a one-to-one interaction with them to deal with their personal issues, and those are issues that are important to resolve,” he added.
Speaking on matters raised within his portfolio, Mustapha said most of the concerns were personal in nature and related primarily to agriculture and drainage.
“People came with individual concerns, things like they need livestock help, they need drainage in their surroundings, they need help going into cash-crop farming, they need planting material, they need shade houses. Those are individual requests and those are most of the things we are dealing with,” he said.
He added that there were few complaints relating to community projects because of the extensive development work already taking place across the region.
“We have not had any major concerns in community projects because in here, we have a very robust programme, doing farm-to-market roads, drainage and irrigation projects, rehabilitating canals, doing bridges, doing sluices, fixing pumps and building pump stations. The more minor issues, the individual issues, are what people came here to raise,” he said.
Providing insight into matters raised within his sector, Minister Croal said the outreach also served as an opportunity for residents to receive updates on ongoing government programmes and development projects across Region Three.
He noted that many of the concerns centred on housing applications and land acquisition.
Croal explained that through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), the government is working to clear the housing backlog in Region Three by the end of 2027, in keeping with its manifesto commitment.
“We have said we will work to clear the backlog in Region Three and we are committing to have that completed by the end of 2027. Work has already started to acquire new lands and put in the necessary infrastructure. That is where most of the pending applicants who came to seek information at the housing booth are concerned,” he said.

He added that the housing booth attracted more than 500 persons seeking updates on applications, agreements of sale, certificates of title and other outstanding housing matters.
The minister said the exercise provided a direct channel for residents to engage officials on pending issues while also learning about broader development plans for the region.
He pointed to ongoing and planned infrastructure projects, including the recently awarded Parika road project and expanded housing developments.
“We had some persons who were checking on their agreements of sale, certificate of title updates and some of the ongoing issues that may not have been resolved. It is an opportunity to update and interact with persons who have pending housing matters. For Region Three in general, a lot of work is happening,” he said.
Croal added that land allocation continues across the region, particularly in Wales, while plans are also advancing for the development of a new housing scheme in Wakenaam.
Sharing similar sentiments, Mustapha said the outreach comes at a time when Region Three is experiencing unprecedented economic growth driven by major infrastructural investments.
He highlighted projects such as the new Demerara River Bridge and extensive road rehabilitation works, which have improved connectivity and stimulated economic activity.
“The entire infrastructure in Region Three is changing now. We are seeing massive development taking place. This is one of the fastest-growing regions in our country. We are seeing massive building, road rehabilitation, and with the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge, people no longer have to wait hours to cross the Demerara River. You can come across into this region more easily. More development is coming here,” he said.
With the region also hosting the landmark Gas-to-Energy project, Mustapha said Region Three is on track to becoming one of the most developed regions in the country.