With the aim of promoting construction products and services as well as giving landowners the opportunity to access them locally, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government will be hosting the “International Building Expo” in July this year.
This was revealed by Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal during the first “Dream Realised” housing drive for this year that was held at the Guyana National Stadium on Friday.
Recogising that the allocation of house lot does not always translate into the construction of houses, Minister Croal explained that Government has been taking steps to address some of the challenges landowners face such as getting access to loans to having to pay quite a bit for building materials.
“We know too that some of you may lack the know-how to gather the information as to how you go about doing some of these things. We have sought to provide the assistance to you by inviting the banks and insurance companies to participate in events such as these,” he noted.
However, the Housing Minister acknowledged that one-off activities such as the Dream Realised housing drive may not bring all of the information landowners seek or the help they need.
“In the spirit of working together with local stakeholders, I’m pleased to announce that the Building Expo will return in July!” Croal announced.
The first ever International Building Expo was held in 2010 and was a brainchild of then Housing Minister Irfaan Ali, who is now President of Guyana. But the event was scrapped under the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration.
According to Minister Croal, President Ali’s vision continues to guide the country today.
“His foresight saw an explosion in the construction sector that is unmatched; we want to capitalise on this. This expo was always well received and it brought together stakeholders under one roof and was a forum to showcase new and innovative developments within the local sector,” he stated.
The 2022 Building Expo will be officially launched next month and is slated to be held on the tarmac of the National Stadium in Providence, East Bank Demerara.
The revival of the Building Expo was first announced last month during the consideration of the 2022 Budget Estimates.
In response to questions from the parliamentary Opposition, Minister Croal had disclosed his Ministry’s plans to host the event this year.
He has explained that a $27 million allocation under the Ministry’s housing development programme was earmarked for the hosting of the expo and the “Dream Realised” house lot allocation exercises across the country.
“The ‘Building Expo’, we intended to pull it off last year, but we delayed it because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, we are hoping to do that this year,” Croal had stated.
The building expo is intended to provide an opportunity for businesses to market their products and services associated with the Government’s national housing drive.
