Your Excellency President Dr. Irfaan Ali, Colleague Minister Susan Rodrigues,
Chief Executive Officer and Board Members of CHPA, officials of the Ministry
of Housing and Water, Special Invitees, Fellow Citizens, good morning.
I am overjoyed today that after just 75 days of the PPP/C returning to
power, we are able to hand out over 350 certificates of titles and transports
to citizens who have been waiting for many years to become homeowners!!!
And this is just the beginning of what is to come!
It would be remiss of me if I did not remind the people of Guyana that the
PPP/C’s Manifesto 2020 promised to create 10,000 house lots annually; to
invest in support infrastructure in existing and new housing schemes; to
reverse Value Added Tax on building materials; to facilitate affordable
financing for homeownership; to promote homeownership particularly among
youths and young professionals through tax and other incentives; to promote
partnerships and incentivise private sector involvement in the sector.
We promised to ensure that water rates remain affordable; to reinstate water
subsidies to pensioners; to expand treated water to more areas; to upgrade
the distribution and transmission of water in urban, rural and hinterland areas;
to reduce losses in the distribution system and to Create institutional
mechanisms to rationalise the country’s water resources through an
Integrated Water Resources Management framework over the next five years.
Today, I can stand here and proudly announce that those initiatives are no
longer promises but they are now reality! Those promises have become reality
under your government, the PPP/C Government which is committed to
delivering to all of Guyana the dream of owning your own home.

The housing challenge in Guyana is one of the most significant thrusts of the
Government, and we are going to ensure that the quest of every Guyanese to

own his or her home is realised. We will ensure that house lots that are
allocated are serviceable and that residents can occupy them knowing the
critical amenities like water, roads, and street lights are in place.
To achieve this will entail a gradual process as we intend to do this in a
responsible and sustainable way, we must get it right this time. In this
regard, we have already implemented several reforms.
Owning your own home is a personal achievement that everyone strives for,
but it is not always easily or readily done. The challenges are many – access
to easy finance, affordable building materials and insurance, reputable and
honest contractors and most of all the availability lands and the associated
infrastructure. But your government is acutely aware of the needs of you the
citizens and my Ministry has spared no effort to fast track the process to
ensure that as many of you that qualify can be awarded your titles and
transports in record time.
Already our government has reversed many of the previous regime’s
burdensome interventions in the sector, chief among those poorly thought
out policies was the imposition of VAT on building materials. Today that has
been removed! What that means for you is that now, you will be able to buy
building materials at much cheaper prices than obtained 75 days ago. It
means that you will have more buying power and will also be able to save in
the process.
We have raised the ceiling for Mortgage Interest Relief from 15 to 30 million
dollars; increased the limit for low-income loans; and removed VAT on building
materials. Let me say this, raising the Mortgage Interest Relief threshold will
result in at least 55% of borrowers being able to recover from 500 thousand
to 1 million dollars yearly once they apply for the relief. That my friend s is
your government in action!
Here with us today are the banks which many of you will have to engage for
loans. The title or transport you receive today should allow you to be able to
access an affordable loan. Low income housing loans – an initiative of the
PPP/C – is offered by all of our local banks including Scotiabank. I want to ask
the banks especially that they be cognisant of the hardships that COVID 19
has brought on many citizens and to be flexible with applicants when they

approach your bank. In the very near future, my Ministry intends to engage
the Banking sector to introduce Single Window Processing, Reduce Permit
Processing time to under a month, Focus on Infrastructure among other
urgent reforms needed to accelerate the sector.
If anything, COVID 19 has taught us that we must have a backup plan for
when things go wrong or when it’s out of your control. The insurance
companies present can help you with your back up plan. Be sure to visit
their booths and have a chat with them about your options, not just about
house insurance but about health and other solutions they may have.
For those of you who are here to access the services offered by the Central
Housing and Planning Authority and the Guyana Water Incorporated, be sure
to leave your correct contact information – too often we’ve found that
information for applicants is incorrect or had changed- and this makes it
difficult for the officers to make contact. Be sure too, to ask every question
you may have so that you can leave here with a clear understanding of the
process so that you can plan properly. We are working to improve all of the
processes for the services offered by these two Agencies so that citizens do
not become frustrated with the time taken to have access to potable water,
for reconnections, meter installations, fault reporting or status updates.
Already myself and my colleague Minister have visited many areas in
desperate need for water. While we were able to almost immediately make
potable water available in some of those communities, we are working on
infrastructure for other areas, so I ask you to be patient. We must
remember our water sector is an essential component of homeownership
and community development. As such our key focus on the water for the
next 5 years will include extending water coverage throughout Guyana,
increasing metering coverage, expand treated water coverage throughout
Guyana, improve GWI’s Strategic Plan, Non-Revenue Water Reduction, and
Sanitation.
We also have telephone, internet and cable operators represented here, and
they have very generously lowered the prices for their services and devices.
Now more than ever, access to the internet is critical to homes especially for
those families with children and adults who are in school or University.
Cheaper internet services are extremely important. With the recent
liberalisation of the telecommunication sector, already the cost for internet

has become more affordable, it is my hope that other operators will soon
announce similar reductions.
Finally, I wish to thank my President for his abiding interest and vision for
the housing sector. Indeed, he has made a bold promise in our Manifesto of
at minimum 50000 houselots over 5 years. And I am excited to be part of
his team to bring his promise to fruition. It will not be easy or quick but it
will be done.
Thank you to all the representatives of the Corporate Community who have
given tangible support to this event and to the organisers for their hard
work. I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can. Do remember to
wear your masks, practice physical distancing and wash your hands as often
as possible. It is my wish that we have a safe and incident free event. Let’s
make your Dreams Realised!

Thank you.