–Dr. Jagdeo says as gov’t aims to modernise construction, boost local partnerships, improve work done by local contractors

GUYANA’S massive construction boom is set to be even further expanded as People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary and Guyana’s Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, on Thursday, outlined the government’s plans to build 8,000 housing units annually over the next five years.

He told reporters this during a press conference at Freedom House, noting that this will not only transform the housing sector but also drive job creation, investment and industrial growth through global partnerships.

Dr. Jagdeo said that preparations are already underway to include this in the upcoming national budget.

“To build 8,000 units per year, you’d have to do over 20 per day. That is a lot of units you would have to build per day. So, it requires a different level of planning, execution, and it starts with conceptualisation, planning, and execution,” he said, adding: “This is not giving out 50 houses more to a man who can take three years and do it with poor quality material and the house cracking and all of that sort of stuff….Because we have had that experience with a lot of the local contractors and some others who’ve been building for the government and then people go into these units and it’s shoddily done or alternately they’re waiting for ages for them to complete.”

He emphasised that the government will not repeat past mistakes that led to delays and poor-quality housing from some local contractors.

“It’s a large-scale task. Given our local capability, we can’t handle all of this. So, our local firms would be best served if they could come up with partnerships. You would have to have partnerships with international groups,” he said.

The government is also exploring avenues to modernise construction methods, including prefabricated materials and environmentally friendly, certified building supplies, to accelerate construction while maintaining quality standards.

According to Dr. Jagdeo factories may be established to produce materials for on-site assembly.

The Vice-President also said that the government is examining avenues to help citizens build their homes.

Dr. Jagdeo said: “We are exploring different ideas. In some communities, maybe the building material. We’ve spoken to some Amerindian communities that there are three options now. Create a village fund for people to get the help there or alternately to buy the material to give to them or a grant. We even settle on which model we use. It could be either one of those models or a combination of all three. In the coastal area, it could be a different model, how we help people along the coast.”

He stated that there will be money set aside in the budget for the government to continue its aggressive housing drive.