as to how we continue the growth and development of this sector

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Government has started discussions on a National Housing Policy which will, among other things, seek to regulate the way contractors operate, and the quality of building materials.On Friday, a draft document of the proposed guidelines was the centre of discussions  during a session at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC), Liliendaal, which saw representatives of Government Ministries, agencies, and the private and banking sectors among others, putting forward suggestions and ideas.Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) Myrna Pitt and Dr. Coby Frimpong, had assisted with drafting the policy.A new housing policy is in the worksHousing Minister Irfaan Ali noted that the policy is not an assessment that will be done but an implementation tool that will overtime be monitored.The intention, he said, is to “implement the policy and all its recommendations so that the housing sector can be protected and sustained and continue to grow.”A copy was presented to the stakeholders a few weeks prior to the hosting of the session to ensure their full appraisal and participation. Minister Ali explained that this was in line with the CPHA principle of allowing for “transparency, openness and consultative mechanism through which to advance the housing programme in Guyana.”The draft document contains proposals for application for areas of constraints in the housing development in Guyana.“Macro economics and housing, demographic and housing trends, land management and marketing in Guyana, housing subsidies and the construction sector with emphasis on standards, building codes and quality of building materials are central among the issues the document seeks to provide guidelines for addressing.”According to Ali, housing has a significant impact on the economy.He alluded to the US situation. As the most powerful economy in the world, the US economy was driven by the housing sector and was destroyed by the housing sector. That is an important lesson for developing countries like Guyana, Ali said.Guyana’s housing programme has been having much success and more and more investors are seeking to get involved in the programme. He cautioned, however, “We have to be very guarded, as to how we continue the growth and development of this sector, the areas in which we focus and the various macro economics and fiscal policies that govern the development of this sector.”The CHPA has over the years, in a major way, pushed Guyana’s housing programmes with unprecedented successes. The National Housing Policy is part of the CHPA’s aim of giving clear policy directions to future development of the housing in Guyana, Government has said.In recent years, housing has been playing a major role with large swaths of land becoming available on the coastlands and even in the hinterlands.There has been an adjustment for lower mortgage rates which has also allowed to hundreds thousands of new home owners to benefit. Spinoffs like hardware supplies, transportation and a demand for contractors and labourers have been but a part of the benefits. (Leonard Gildarie)