–boosting construction with steel & cement subsidies
THE Ministry of Housing, under the leadership of Minister Collin Croal, continues to advance efforts to provide secure housing for Guyanese across the country, with a particular focus on the hinterland and other remote regions.
During a recent Facebook Live broadcast on Livewire, Minister Croal underscored the government’s commitment to the hinterland housing programme, which supports vulnerable families, including single mothers, persons with disabilities, and the elderly.
“The hinterland housing programme is a little different from what you have on the coastline,” he explained.
“Simply because you’re talking about village lands, and village lands are what you call communal lands. So, it’s not a case you can issue a document or somebody can take that document to go to the bank.”
He detailed that in villages such as Sand Creek, beneficiaries receive houses free of charge, with their contributions limited to providing two persons for labour.
“That programme, though, has a bit of economic spin-off; it is to support the village economy. Let’s use Region Nine, for example: you go and you see those clay block buildings. You can go right across the border to Bonfim and buy the Brazilian type of blocks.”
“Those blocks are all made in the villages that have the clay-type soil. We buy the blocks from there [the village]. The wood is all cut from the village. The village supplies the wood. We pay for that,” Croal said, adding that hardware is typically procured from the region, but the bulk of the materials comes from local communities.
The minister emphasised that this approach not only delivers housing but also supports local economies. “In a far practical and extensive way, we support the village economy and we give guidance to the village council. Please come up with the beneficiaries that you’re identifying. Please ensure that the people who really need, they’re vulnerable, they don’t have the assistance,” he said.
Croal also discussed the government’s initiative to provide steel-and-cement subsidies in Region Nine, designed to help residents transition from allocation to actual home construction. The minister stated that over $50 million has been invested so far in that region in steel-and-cement subsidies, which are intended to help families begin construction.
He explained that the initiative allows residents to use the value of the materials as leverage when applying for bank loans.
“Now that they’ve started their foundation, they can use that as an initiative to go to the bank to say, ‘Hey, this is a month of work of value I’ve done on my land. Can you give me a loan?’”
The subsidies also have a local economic impact, as materials such as cement and steel are procured within the region. “It’s a local economy that we are also supporting because the cement or the steel, etc., it’s being procured within the region. We engage those suppliers,” the minister said.
Housing allocations in the hinterland and other remote regions are being conducted in batches as lands become available. Croal explained that periodic outreaches by the ministry help to address pending complaints related to surveying or titles, helping to fast-track delivery of housing services.
“We have regional offices in most of the regions… But when we go on these outreaches, it also helps in helping to fast-track delivery of service,” he said.
The housing minister reaffirmed the government’s broader vision for housing, noting that it has cleared decades-old backlogs and is constructing thousands of new homes.
“While we spoke about allocating 50,000 house lots, we didn’t speak to how many houses. But we constructed over 4,000 plus houses… We intend to construct 40,000 houses during this period [2025-2030],” Croal said.
He also described the care taken to plan new housing schemes, including allocating land for public spaces, recreation, schools, and police outposts. “Sometimes when you see a ground, an empty space in a community, it is not always for recreational purpose,” he explained, emphasising the comprehensive planning behind each scheme.
Through these measures, Minister Croal said the government is ensuring that housing development reaches every corner of Guyana, combining infrastructural support, material subsidies and economic opportunities for local communities to create a lasting impact.
