Int’l Building Expo 2025 opens

Aug 15, 2025 News

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…President Ali unveils plan to build 30,000 homes in 5 years

Kaieteur News – The 2025 edition of the International Building Expo officially opened on Thursday, with President Irfaan Ali announcing new measures aimed at strengthening the infrastructure sector, including plans to locally produce paint, cement, and steel.

The four-day exhibition being held at the National Stadium in Providence, East Bank Demerara, is featuring 389 booths and a diverse mix of local and international exhibitors. Under the theme, “The Road to Success: Guyana 2030 and Beyond,” the exhibition, which will run from August 14 to 17, brings together developers, suppliers, policymakers, architects, and bankers to foster innovation in construction and urban development.

This year’s Expo features exhibitors from India, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Suriname, Canada, the United States, Colombia, Cuba, and others. In addition, the Ministry of Housing will place special emphasis on processing land ownership documents during the expo.

During his opening remarks, President Ali highlighted his government’s achievement in allocating housing lots to citizens under the age of 35. He noted that access to homeownership has significantly improved, with over 31,000 leases, titles, and transports already issued.

He said that under his government, plans are in train to construct at least 30,000 new homes within five years, equivalent to 16 homes per day. At an estimated cost of GYD $450 billion, the effort would generate approximately 150,000 jobs. These jobs, he said, would span building, rehabilitation, and extension projects. “Looking at a minimum of 30 000 homes that we want to be constructed in the next five years because we are moving from land ownership to home ownership. Now we are going to incentivise the system to support families directly in building their homes transferring resources to families to move from land ownership to home ownership for improvement of their homes, the rehabilitation of their homes and the extension of their homes,” President Ali stated.

Ali also stressed the need to develop additional lands, noting that there are currently around 80,000 housing applications pending. To meet demand, the government plans to acquire 20,000 acres, nearly 32 square miles, to accommodate these future homeowners. He emphasised the scale of investment involved, comparing the land area to 20% of Barbados or nearly half of Antigua. “80,000 applications in the system to be processed now for us to allocate that 80,000 lots it would require 20,000 acres of land…” President Ali announced.

The president touched on rising demand for construction materials such as cement, paint, and steel, which has seen import volumes increased. As such, President Ali further announced that, due to rapid growth in the infrastructure sector and rising demand for imported construction materials, items such as paint, steel, and cement will soon be produced locally.

He pledged to support local manufacturing of these materials, facilitated by reduced energy costs and favourable tax measures, including VAT and duty exemptions on cement and other inputs.

Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal underscored the value of the Expo as a networking, investment, and innovation hub. He noted that over the past five years, the ministry had issued titles to 50,000 families, created 10,000 construction jobs across 202 firms and unlocked over GYD $250 billion in investments by opening 20,000 acres of new land.

In line with promoting homeownership, Minister Susan Rodrigues announced that over 2,000 certificates of title would be distributed during the Expo by the Central Housing and Planning Authority. These documents are intended to empower homeowners with collateral to access financing.

Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Gerald Gouveia Jr, lauded the growth of new contracting firms and entrepreneurs capable of tackling large-scale infrastructure work. He called the Expo a celebration of strategic partnerships and progress across residential, commercial and industrial sectors.

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Kathy Smith spoke about the improvement in infrastructure, pointing to the Ogle-Eccles-Diamond highway as a catalyst for reduced transportation costs, while at the same time boosting private sector efficiency. The Expo’s opening ceremony also featured cultural performances, including dances, songs, and a special appearance by 2025 Soca Monarch artist Diana Chapman.

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• building, Collin Croal, Expo, Gerald Gouveia, President Irfaan Ali

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