Rupanau receives its land title document

DPI, Guyana, Monday, September 25, 2017

Rupanau, located in the Deep South, Region Nine has received its land title document, guaranteeing its absolute ownership of 11184.16 acres of community land.

Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock handed over the document to Aishalton’s Toshao, Douglas Casimero, on behalf of Rupanau, on September 23 at the St Ignatius Benab.

The Minister explained that the community’s land titling process was completed in September 2015; however, the document was only recently finalised, hence the hand-over this year.

Minister Allicock noted that the presentation of the document is timely since it coincides with Indigenous Heritage Month. “The people have something more to celebrate”, he enthused.

Under the Guyana REDD + Investment Fund (GRIF), the government in 2013 signed a US$10.7M document for the implementation of the Land Titling and Demarcation project. The venture came to an end in 2016, however, the Ministry requested an extension in the 2017 budget. This resulted in $165M earmarked for the advancement of the remaining identified areas for land titling.

In 2016, almost 1,000 square kilometers of land was demarcated in Regions One, Seven, and Eight.

 

By: Synieka Thorne