THE Ministry of Housing and Water was yesterday recognized by the Georgetown Chambers of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) for its contribution to facilitating the works of the business community, through the exhibition of a high standard of service.
GCCI President Komal Ramnauth presented the Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali with a token for this recognition, during a presentation ceremony in the ministry’s boardroom on Brickdam.
The GCCI, at its award ceremony held last Friday, nominated two entities for the Public Service Award for Excellence, the Guyana Geologies and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Ministry of Housing and Water.
Alluding to the ministry’s role in this regard, Ramnauth explained, “It is great recognition when a nominee is recognized for the work they  have done … look around and you can seen the amount  of development because of all the lots the ministry has given out, all the development happening in the sector. Because of all the development in construction, the companies in the private sector have benefitted tremendously from that.”
Meanwhile, GCCI’s Junior Vice President, Clinton Urling, took the opportunity to outline the criteria for nomination for the award.
He explained, “One of the awards the GCCI presented was for Public Service Excellence, and the Ministry of Housing and Water was one of the nominees, along with the GGMC, and the award is presented to that public service entity which best facilitated the work of the private sector, and also the ministry that has demonstrated high levels of professionalism in Guyana. We are pleased to hand over certificate and plaque to the ministry for the great work they have done over the past year.”
Urling noted too that, this year, the nominees were selected by a committee, independent of the Chamber, which then, selected the winners.
In his remarks, Minister Ali expressed gratitude for the recognition and for the GCCI’s consideration of the ministry as one of the agencies that contributed positively and effectively in the execution of its mandate.
He said, “Our collaboration over the last year with the private sector has expanded tremendously, we now have full public/private partnership in home construction, in infrastructure development, we have a tripartite partnership with the banking sector the ministry and the builders, in financing and building of the homes for the beneficiaries.”
Ali emphasized that the focus of his ministry has been to include, as far as possible, the private sector and the main stakeholders of the building and construction sector in  the process of management, as it continues to deliver services in the Housing and Water sectors.
Reiterating his gratitude, he lauded the hard work and dedication of his staff at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), whom he recognized as the ones responsible for the development in the sectors.