Housing Minister Collin Croal has placed innovation at the centre of Guyana’s housing agenda, noting that new technologies and modern construction methods are key to delivering climate-resilient and affordable homeownership across the country.

Speaking at the launch of this year’s International Building Expo, Minister Croal highlighted several areas where innovation is already making an impact, including climate-smart building materials, modular and prefabricated construction methods, elevated foundation designs, and advanced drainage systems.

“Countries like ours must remain open to new technologies, modern building solutions, and more efficient approaches to development. This includes stronger building standards, climate-resilient designs, sustainable materials, and smarter urban planning,” he said.

According to the minister, these approaches can reduce construction times, lower costs, and improve the durability of homes, while helping communities withstand flooding and other climate-related risks.

The four-day expo will showcase both international and local innovators bringing fresh ideas to the construction sector, including Japanese and United Kingdom suppliers of resilient building materials, alongside regional companies.

“As we build for the future, we must ask the difficult but necessary questions. How do we reduce costs while maintaining standards? How do we create communities that are resilient to flooding and climate risks? How do we integrate sustainability into every phase of our development? Over these four days, I am hopeful that we will get new and more innovative answers to these questions as construction methods evolve globally,” he said.

Minister Croal also encouraged stronger public-private partnerships to pilot these technologies on a wider scale, linking developers, financial institutions, and insurers in coordinated projects aimed at advancing Guyana’s climate-smart housing agenda.