GEORGETOWN, Guyana, (DPI) – The government is accelerating its housing programme by ensuring crucial infrastructure, such as roads and drainage, are in place before allottees can access their lands.

Speaking on the programme Livewire on Wednesday, minister of housing Collin Croal said this is a significant shift from the traditional approach, where infrastructure works came after allocations. He explained that previously, persons who received house lots often had to wait years before accessing their land due to infrastructure timelines.

“From the time we are ready to proceed in an area, we now start tendering for the infrastructure work…So you don’t have to wait two years down the line,” the minister stated.

According to him, this new approach ensures lands are made accessible within a year to a year and a half from the time of allocation, reducing waiting periods for beneficiaries.

The strategy has proven fruitful since Guyanese are now seeing faster development of new and existing housing schemes.

In addition, the housing programme has expanded significantly, with tens of thousands of allocations being processed in recent years, compared to previous periods.

In budget 2026, the government has set aside $159.1 billion to advance housing development nationwide, with continued infrastructure works in both new and existing schemes.

This year, at least 15,000 households are expected to receive house lots as part of the ongoing allocation drive. The government also plans to distribute 8,000 house lots and issue no less than 7,000 certificates of title, enabling thousands of families to secure legal ownership of their properties.