Jagdeo says Region 10 housing backlog to be cleared by end of next year; announces regularisation of NICIL lands

Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Tuesday announced that the government expects to eliminate the housing backlog in Region 10 and the country’s other non-coastal regions by the end of next year while unveiling a series of initiatives aimed at expanding home ownership and assisting vulnerable families. Speaking at the Region 10 Public Day Outreach at Watooka House in Linden, Jagdeo said the Ministry of Housing has identified enough lands to address outstanding housing applications in the region. He contrasted the situation with Region Four, where a significant backlog remains after years of limited housing development prior to 2020. “We’ve had several public outreaches across the country, and housing continues to be one of the biggest issues,” Jagdeo said, noting that while more than 36,000 house lots were developed in Region Four during the government’s last term, many were allocated to applicants who had been waiting for years. For Region 10, however, the Vice President said officials are optimistic the waiting list can be cleared by the end of 2027. Jagdeo also announced that nearly 1,000 residents occupying lands owned by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) are expected to have their tenure regularised. According to him, NICIL has transferred a number of areas to facilitate the issuance of land titles, providing long-awaited security of tenure for affected residents. The Vice President underscored the significant investment required to expand housing, revealing that it costs the government approximately $5 million to develop a single house lot, even though beneficiaries purchase them for an average of $500,000. “It is a massive subsidy by the government,” he said. Jagdeo also outlined new housing measures aimed at helping vulnerable Guyanese access safe accommodation. Under one initiative, the government will construct modest one-bedroom homes for elderly persons who have been abandoned, persons living with disabilities, and others deemed genuinely destitute and unable to build on their own. For low- and middle-income families, he announced a programme that will certify private contractors to construct homes more efficiently. He said many contractors have struggled to complete projects on time, delaying housing delivery and creating quality concerns. The government also intends to work with commercial banks to help thousands of landowners who already possess government house lots but lack the financing or technical guidance needed to build. Through the programme, beneficiaries will be able to choose from a pool of certified contractors while banks provide mortgages backed by government support. Jagdeo further expressed concern about persons who sell government-allocated house lots and later seek to obtain another allocation using a different name or identity. He said the practice undermines the fairness of the housing programme and contributes to the growing demand for house lots. The Region 10 outreach brought together ministers, officials from the Ministry of Housing, and representatives from several government agencies to address residents’ concerns and provide a range of public services.