Thousands of families to benefit as President Ali unveils $46B Region Five plan

– investments to unlock land access, home ownership for thousands

The future of residents in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) is looking a lot brighter today, with billions of dollars in government investment aimed at unlocking access to agricultural lands, improving drainage and irrigation, and advancing land ownership for thousands of families.

Residents were informed about the massive influx of resources by His Excellency Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali during a land title distribution exercise on Friday on the West Coast Berbice.

To support thousands of farmers in the region, contracts valued at approximately $10 billion have been awarded to construct Hope-like canals. According to the president, the total investment is expected to reach $20 billion upon completion.

“What this investment will do is that, first of all, it will bring new drainage and improved drainage to 186,000 acres of land across the region, agricultural land,” he told the audience. 

“From Mahaica to Mahaicony area, that is about 66,000 acres of land that will now benefit from this investment. And from Mahaicony to Abary, that is another 120,000 acres of land that will benefit from this investment,” the president explained.

Beyond existing lands, small farmers will be able to access 55,000 acres of new agricultural land that currently requires drainage and irrigation infrastructure.

“So when one asks the question, how is it that investment, capital investment, is linked to development, this is how it is linked,”President Ali emphasised. 

The government plans to invest over $46 billion in housing in the region over the next five years, combining public and private funding.

Noting that approximately 1,500 allocated house lots in the region remain undeveloped, President Ali said the government plans to convene structured groups involving homeowners, financial institutions, and the state to support the transition from house lot ownership to actual home ownership.

This approach offers assistance in obtaining loans, planning home design, and managing the construction process.

“If we are building moderate income homes on those house lots, that means between the government, the private sector, the bank, and those who own those existing homes,  it will be an investment of $12 billion in building moderate income homes on those house lots in Region 5. That’s just the 1,500 house lots,” he explained further.

On the other hand, there are 2,300 housing applications in the system, and the government aims to reduce this backlog to zero by acquiring 2,000 acres of land in Blairmont and Experiment.

President Ali informed residents that developing this land into serviced house lots requires an estimated $10 billion in infrastructure investment. Within this framework:

• 1,000 low- and moderate-income homes will be constructed for $7 billion.
• 500 homes for young professionals, estimated at $15 million per home, will represent an additional $7.5 billion investment.
• 500 house lots allocated to upper-middle- and high-income earners, with individual home investments of approximately $20 million, will contribute another $10 billion.

In total, over $40 billion will be expended to accelerate home ownership for thousands of families in the Mahaica-Berbice region.

These planned investments, President Ali said, represent seven times more development activity than what occurred between 2020 and 2025, underscoring a significantly accelerated pace of growth.

Infrastructure development remains a critical component of this transformation. In Cotton Tree, the rehabilitation of the water treatment plant required $424 million, while the Cotton Tree to Blairmont transmission main accounted for an additional $120 million.

Road infrastructure has also seen major investment. Over the past four years, more than $30 billion has been invested in community roads across the region, improving access, mobility, and quality of life.