The Government is aiming to clear Guyana’s housing application backlog in every administrative region except Region Four by the end of 2027, with President Irfaan Ali on Thursday unveiling a detailed region-by-region plan to tackle the country’s estimated 75,000 to 78,000 pending applications.
In an address focused on the housing sector, President Ali said more than 50,000 of the outstanding applications are concentrated in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), making it the country’s greatest housing challenge because of limited land availability.
“Guyana faces a housing backlog now of approximately 75 to 78,000 pending application, and that is as of early 2026. What is interesting is that over 50,000 of that backlog is concentrated in Region 4. And that is one of the major challenge,” the President said.
Despite distributing more than 53,000 house lots between 2020 and 2025, Ali explained that the backlog has continued to grow due to increased public confidence in the housing programme, returning Guyanese, and a surge in new applications.
“So in our 2025 to 2030 strategic housing plan, we commit to clearing the entire backlog, save and except Region Four, where eligible applicants from 2021 and prior are being processed,” he stated.The President then outlined the Government’s timeline for each region.
For Region One, where the backlog stands at 221 applications, he said new lots are being developed and allocations are expected to begin by the end of 2026, with the backlog and servicing of lots to be completed by the end of 2027.
Region Two has a revised backlog of 2,331 applications after allocations made this year. Ali said the Government is acquiring additional lands to meet demand, noting that private lands will also have to be purchased.
“In Region 2, the government will now have to acquire private lands to clear the backlog and also to cater for future demand,” he said.In Region Three, the revised backlog stands at 10,819 applications. The Government has already started investing in the development of more than 26,000 new lots. However, Ali noted that some Region Four applicants are expected to be accommodated there because of the availability of land.
He said the Region Three backlog is expected to be fully cleared by the end of 2027.
Region Four remains the biggest obstacle. As of the end of 2025, the backlog stood at 50,375 applications, with 48,806 remaining after allocations made this year.
According to the President, lands currently being acquired can only clear about half of the backlog by the end of 2027.
“So I want Region Four to understand this dynamic. That is why we are investing heavily in Silica City. And we’re building out all these new highways to open up new housing areas along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway… so that that can create new opportunities to clear this backlog in Region 4.”
Ali said Silica City, Guyana’s planned smart city, will initially be developed on about 3,800 acres with room to expand to another 10,000 acres. The area is projected to accommodate approximately 60,000 residents and is expected to be about 20 to 25 minutes from Georgetown.
For Region Six, where the revised backlog stands at 7,633 applications, the President said infrastructure works and the acquisition of additional lands, including discussions to purchase 230 acres of private land, will allow the backlog to be eliminated by the end of 2027.
He also projected that Regions Seven, Nine and Ten will clear their respective backlogs by the end of 2027, while Region Eight is expected to achieve that milestone a year earlier, by the end of 2026.
Ali said the Government remains committed to expanding access to homeownership while ensuring transparency in the housing programme.
“I just want to be very open and transparent. This is where we are in terms of every single region,” the President said.
