$44.8B Supplementary funding to address developments in housing, water, other sectors – Finance Minister
The Government of Guyana will be approaching the National Assembly on Monday for a supplementary allocation totaling more than $44.8 billion to continue its transformational agenda.
This was revealed by Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, MP, in a recent episode of the “Parliamentary Agenda”.
Taking the bulk of the money requested are the housing and water sectors.
According to Financial Paper No 1. of 2022, these sectors are expected to receive about $21 bilion. This, Dr Singh said, is critical for the improvement of people’s lives.
The minister pointed to a number of programmes launched by government to assist people in building their homes. One such example is President Irfaan Ali’s announcement during the International Building Expo that the government will provide steel and cement for persons constructing new homes.
It is for this and many other reasons, Dr Singh said, that the government is requesting additional resources, to further advance the assistance given to citizens in these sectors.
“This [Dream Realised] housing programme has been put on the front burner and we are pushing it as aggressively as we possibly can…we have already made tremendous progress in utilising the budgetary resources that were provided in the original budget, and so we are seeking an addition $16 billion to advance the housing development agenda,” Minister Singh highlighted.
In addition to this figure, Dr Singh noted that the government has also recognised the need for the further delivery of potable water to communities across the country, which is why there is a proposed allocation of an additional $5 billion for this sector.
“The development of new urban or semi-urban centers…will exert a demand on the production and distribution system for potable water… [so] we’re upgrading coastal water systems, and we also have a very aggressive hinterland water programme, mainly sinking wells and water collection and storage. So, we’re seeking an additional $5 billion for water…so that potential homeowners move from being a potential homeowner to an actual homeowner and to ensure that as many Guyanese as possible have access to potable and treated water,” he explained.
Dr Singh also revealed that just over $4 billion will be requested for the public works sector, to continue developing and upgrading major infrastructure across the country. This includes rehabilitative works to the Demerara Harbour Bridge and additional resources for the Miscellaneous Roads programme.
Further, the financial paper caters for the $3 billion allocation promised by President Ali during the last National Toshaos Council Conference for continued development in Amerindian communities.
Other sectors such as regional development and agriculture are set to receive billions of dollars if the supplementary paper is passed in the National Assembly on Monday.