TWO United States companies are partnering to construct 10,000 affordable homes in Guyana, US Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot has disclosed, as American businesses respond to calls for greater involvement in the country’s housing sector.
Theriot identified the companies as US Frame Factory from Louisiana and Golden Shield from Indiana, stating the two firms are working together on the large-scale housing initiative.
The Ambassador made the disclosure during a recent interview on the Energy Perspectives podcast, where she highlighted affordable housing as one of the areas in which the expanding US-Guyana commercial relationship is moving beyond the country’s major oil and gas investments.
She said Golden Shield’s entry into the Guyanese market is particularly significant because the company had not previously operated outside the United States. “Golden Shield has never operated outside of the United States before, but it heeded the call,” Theriot said.
According to her, the two companies will work together on the construction of 10,000 homes in Guyana, with the project specifically geared towards affordability.
She said, “And they’re going to be constructing together 10,000 homes here in Guyana—affordable homes, homes that, you know, are not just for the elite, that the average Guyanese person can purchase.”
The Ambassador made the comments while discussing the growing participation of US small and medium-sized businesses in Guyana and President Dr Irfaan Ali’s efforts to attract more of those companies to the country.
Theriot said the President has been encouraging a broader US commercial presence, beyond the large American corporations already operating in Guyana.
She noted that Guyana already has major US companies such as ExxonMobil and Chevron, but said the President wants more smaller and medium-sized American businesses to establish themselves in the country.
The planned housing project was cited by the Ambassador as an example of that development.
Theriot also linked the housing initiative to financing from the US Export-Import Bank, which she said would be providing funding for affordable housing construction.
The planned housing development is part of the Guyanese Government’s continued efforts to promote homeownership and investment in housing, amid increased construction activity and demand driven by the country’s expanding oil economy.
The US-backed housing initiative comes as Guyana is moving to expand the use of prefabricated and modular construction as part of its broader 40,000-home programme. Housing Minister Collin Croal has said prefabricated construction will be critical to increasing the pace of housing delivery, particularly given the scale of the Government’s housing target.
Croal said the Government has engaged three major contractors to support the rollout of prefabricated homes, with agreements already signed with two of them. The contractors are expected to supply homes in various categories as the housing programme expands.
The Ministry of Housing has also been piloting a foundation programme in Leonora and Meten-Meer-Zorg, designed to assist people who already have, or are preparing, foundations for their homes. Under the approach, prefabricated structures can be installed once the foundations are ready. Croal said the preparatory work is intended to pave the way for more visible construction by the end of 2026, with the pace expected to increase over the following four years.