Thank you for the warm introduction Permanent Secretary Andray Ally and today’s secession Chairperson. 

Hon. Susan Rodrigues – Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water; Chairman of the Board of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Dr. Emanuel Cummings; CEO of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Sherwin Greaves; Board Members, other officials of the Ministry of Housing and Water and the Guyana Water Incorporated, Special Invitees, excited potential homeowners, good morning and welcome.

First of all, let me say how happy I am today that we have arrived at this moment in this festive season. Today through the policies of His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, more than one thousand citizens will leave here today with an allocated plot of land, (1,800 in total for region No. 4 over these two days), more than 3,500 in total for Regions No. 4, 3 and 6. In keeping with the theme of this exercise, His Excellency and my Ministry today brings you ever so closer to realizing the dream of owning your own home.  For many of you who have waited all these years for this allocation, it must be a very special moment. I am sure along the way you were worried and frustrated with the length of time it has taken, anxious that perhaps you were running out of time; but, finally, today is the day! 

Today is the day that you will attain what is perhaps one of the most important achievements in your life and I am grateful that I am here to witness and celebrate your achievement. Homeownership is a priority for this Government and the mandate given to my Ministry by His Excellency President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, and we are committed to ensuring that the mandate is fulfilled as quickly as possible. 

The pandemic has forced many of us to spend more time indoors and in many ways has caused us at the Ministry to redouble our efforts to create the opportunities for homeownership and sustainable communities which we need now more than ever. Indeed, we have to make up for time lost and keep pace with the demand for housing by citizens. So, despite the challenges to the economy that COVID 19 has brought, our government has a mandate to meet its target of allocating fifty thousand house lots within five years. 

The attainment of this goal will be no mean feat. The challenges are many: availability of land, lack of infrastructure, access to credit for loans, construction costs and the list goes on.  

But your government has not allowed those challenges to stop us from forging ahead. You are all aware that with the passage of our first budget, more than three billion dollars was allocated to the housing sector for infrastructural development in new and existing housing schemes, land acquisition and preparation as well as the improvement of the Agencies that are critical to the housing sector, the increase in the limit for mortgage interest relief for low and middle-income homeowners and low-income loans, and the removal of VAT on building materials. These measures no doubt will ensure that you will be more than able to build your own homes now that you’ve acquired the land. 

So today, I am very happy to share this moment with you. I recognize the challenges that you face, expensive rental fees, inadequate spaces when you have large families, underdeveloped communities, poor security and in many instances the indignity of not owning your own home. Well, all of that will change. You are now the proud recipients of house lots! You have gone beyond just having a dream of owning a home, you have acquired the land to do so. I hope as you set about building your homes, you will consider sustainable ways of doing so and invest your hard-earned money in competent contractors. I hope this exercise this morning has shown our government’s absolute commitment to helping citizens realize their dreams of owning their homes. We will continue to respond to this need by ensuring that we make the process more dynamic so that you can acquire your house lots quicker, that we provide sustainable housing options and complete infrastructure for the communities and we pledge to work with all the stakeholders both within and outside of the government to bring this to fruition. 

This exercise also means a boom in the construction sector. It will increase demand for building materials, create more jobs for many and increase the demand for credit from our financial institutions. It is therefore important that these partners prepare adequately to respond to these demands. As early as next week, my team and I will sit with the suppliers to discuss their challenges and together we will find ways to mitigate any fall-out from shortages. This kind of collaboration between the government and private sector is integral to the successful delivery of affordable housing and so I’m looking forward to our engagement with the private sector. 

In closing, I wish to let you know that today’s exercise which will be followed by a few others in the very near future and forms part of President Ali’s goal of building at least twenty thousand houses as part of allocating fifty thousand house lots over the next five years! Just under a week ago contracts to the tune of eight hundred and twenty-five million dollars were signed for infrastructure works across the country and last month my Ministry awarded $1.1 Billion worth in contracts for infrastructure development in the housing sector. These investments will transform Guyana’s landscape, the construction and housing sectors and the quality of life of citizens and reflect His Excellency’s commitment to really developing the sector. 

I could not close without acknowledging the banking sector (many of the members who have booths here, they include Republic Bank, Citizen Bank, Demerara Bank, G.B.T.I and New Building Society) and Insurance Companies. 

I also want to thank the hard-working staff of the Ministry of Housing and Water and Central Housing and Planning Authority. In this Christmas Season when many agencies are winding down to close 2020, the staff are working overtime to help bring joy to new house lots allottee.  

Congratulations to all of you and best wishes, Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year to you and your families.

Thank you.

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