The Ministry of Housing has moved to tighten oversight of its projects, with a strong focus on improving the quality of houses being built and stamping out fraud within the system.
Housing Minister Collin Croal gave the assurance on Wednesday evening during the consideration of his Ministry’s budget estimates in the Committee of Supply. Responding to questions from Opposition MP Sherod Duncan about measures to boost oversight, Croal acknowledged recent complaints about housing units and stressed that quality control remains a priority.
“Quality control is important. I’m not naive to a lot of complaints that we’ve had recently, for example, with the houses. So, we’re cognisant of what is required to ensure that we have the best value,” the Minister said, while noting that monitoring mechanisms have been strengthened.
Croal explained that the Ministry’s staffing has increased significantly, particularly within the Projects Department. A restructuring exercise is underway, and the Housing Unit will be reinforced with additional clerks of works and engineering technicians to improve on-site supervision. He pointed out that the Ministry is now managing both infrastructure works and a growing housing programme, which has increased the workload.
The Ministry is also collaborating with the Public Works Ministry to recruit new University of Guyana graduates as part of efforts to build technical capacity.
At the level of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), weekly review meetings are now held to assess all ongoing projects. This process is supported by a Government platform that provides real-time updates on projects, including delays. According to Croal, project reviews are now done weekly to safeguard standards.
On the issue of fraud, the Minister said systems have also been tightened internally and externally. Staff are now required to sign a Code of Conduct, and the Enforcement Department has been strengthened, with a former senior Guyana Police Force officer leading efforts to pursue offenders. However, he admitted that prosecutions are sometimes hampered by the reluctance of witnesses to provide statements. He encouraged persons who encounter wrongdoing to report matters to the Ministry’s Enforcement Department or directly to the Police.
Croal nevertheless noted that there have been recent successes in tackling fraud at CHPA.
Meanwhile, the Committee of Supply approved $159.4 billion for the Housing Ministry for 2026. Of that amount, $150 billion will go towards capital works, including $2.275 billion for land acquisition to develop new housing schemes and address a backlog of more than 75,000 applications.
Another $1.1 billion has been set aside to regularise informal settlements in several areas across Regions Two, Three, Four and Ten, including communities such as Lima Sands, Walton Hall, Plantation Best, Mon Repos, Vigilance, Amelia’s Ward and Block 43, among others. The Minister said the intention is to address these areas this year.
In what the Ministry describes as “zero tolerance” areas, relocation efforts will continue for residents occupying sea defences, railway reserves and drainage reserves in parts of Region Three and elsewhere. These include communities such as Plastic City, Anna Catherina Sea Defence, Zeelugt, Tuschen and Parika.
Croal said the Government is pursuing an aggressive approach to squatting, similar to the drive to clear the housing application backlog. He also urged community and political leaders to encourage squatters to cooperate with relocation efforts.
The capital allocation also provides $48.2 billion for new initiatives, $2.65 billion for utilities infrastructure in new housing areas and $5.4 billion to upgrade infrastructure in existing schemes.
In addition, $7.5 billion has been budgeted for subsidies to assist citizens with home construction, including support under the steel and cement initiative, along with assistance for home repairs and improvements introduced this year.
