The Guyana Government will be approaching the National Assembly on Monday for a supplementary allocation totaling more than $44.8B to continue its transformational agenda.
Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, made this disclosure in a recent episode of the “Parliamentary Agenda”. Dr. Singh disclosed that taking the bulk of the money requested are the housing and water sectors.
It was disclosed that according to Financial Paper No 1. of 2022, these sectors are expected to receive about $21B. Minister Singh said that its critical for the improvement of people’s lives.
Dr. Singh disclosed that a number of programmes has been launched by government to assist people in building their homes. One such example, he said is President Ali’s announcement during the International Building Expo that the government will provide steel and cement for persons constructing new homes.
The minister noted that it is for this and many other reasons, 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 $16B to advance the housing development agenda,” Minister Singh highlighted.
The minister disclosed that in addition to this figure, 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 $5B 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 $5B 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.
Minister Singh also revealed that just over $4B 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 $3B allocation promised by President Ali during the last National Toshaos Council Conference for continued development in Amerindian communities.
The finance minister added that 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.
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