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Govt. to clear housing backlog in 9 regions before end of term – Pres. Ali
(Kaieteur News) – President Irfaan Ali says Guyana currently faces a housing backlog of approximately 75,000 to 78,000 pending applications, as of early 2026, with more than 50,000 of those concentrated in Region Four alone.
Speaking Thursday in a livestream shared on his Facebook page, Ali laid out his administration’s housing agenda for the next four years, which includes constructing 40,000 new housing units and clearing the backlog in nine of the ten administrative regions before the end of his term.
President Irfaan Ali
Region Four, where land constraints have made new development increasingly difficult, is the exception: government’s 2025-2030 Strategic Housing Plan commits only to processing eligible applicants from 2021 and earlier in that region.
President Ali used the address to reiterate his administration’s commitment to homeownership, building on what he described as an “enormous foundation” laid between 2020 and 2025. He said that period saw nearly $240 billion invested in the housing sector, almost 24 squatter settlements regularised, more than 100 housing schemes developed, and over 50,000 house lots distributed.
Government allocated land to more than 128,000 citizens, he said — an asset transfer he valued at roughly $94 billion — and also removed Value Added Tax on selected building materials.
Region Four Housing Backlog
Despite meeting its manifesto pledge of 50,000 house lots, President Ali acknowledged the country still faces a significant housing deficit. To close that gap, he said government’s focus is shifting beyond land distribution toward increasing actual homeownership. A new social housing programme will target highly vulnerable groups, including single mothers, persons living with disabilities, and the elderly, through a mechanism government is establishing to identify eligible beneficiaries.
The 40,000-unit construction target, drawn from the PPP/C’s 2025 manifesto, comes as demand for existing housing initiatives continues to grow. “So, we are seeing, in addition to the 40,000 units that we have to build, an increase in demand for the homes that the ministry is constructing,” Ali said. He disclosed that government has already received more than 270 expressions of interest from developers looking to build housing units.
Financing is also becoming more accessible, according to the president, who credited commercial banks with lowering mortgage interest rates and raising lending ceilings. He named the New Building Society (NBS), Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), Republic Bank Limited, Demerara Bank Limited, Citizens Bank, and Bank of Baroda as institutions that have introduced more favourable mortgage packages.
Land scarcity remains the central obstacle in Region Four, said president Ali, particularly along the East Coast Demerara corridor, where demand for house lots continues to outstrip supply. “We are now in close proximity to the wetlands, so our development is limited by land availability, especially in areas like Region Four,” he noted. As a result, government is placing greater emphasis on higher-density housing developments in the region rather than continued land distribution.
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