Housing Ministry gears up for building expo in July

– event slated for 2014 brought forward due to overwhelming response from business community

By Sabatini Daniels –

Housing Minister  Irfaan Ali said works leading up to International Building Expo 2013 slated for July 5-7 are rapidly moving apace. Speaking to sections of the media on Friday, Ali said due to the event’s success last year, its initial date, which was set for 2014, has been brought forward.
“In January this year when we did not send out letters, people from different companies, the corporate world wrote us asking what was going on… we want building expo… they have budgeted for it… it has made a great impact on their businesses.”

Ali emphasised that building expo has also had a tremendous effect on consumers as well, since many persons would have acquired loans at the event and have become more aware of the building and construction sector.
He noted that thus far, the Housing Ministry has received encouraging response from a number of foreign investors and a company from the UK has already signed an agreement for the construction of 15 pilot homes with a unique material.
“We also have companies out of Barbados… what is interesting is that a lot of companies in the field of alternative energy like solar panel and solar heater and lighting system are showing great interest in this building expo.”
The minister stated that the building expo will be concentrating on alternative material, since in Guyana, a lot of the materials being utilised to build parts of homes come from a variety of sources such as glass.
“The building expo will be focusing heavily on these alternatives,” he revealed.
This year’s event will also feature a business seminar on investment and construction within the three-day period, as well as an engineering and building seminar on consumer service.
He said due to space constraints, this year’s event will not increase in the number of exhibitors and local producers and suppliers will have first preference.
“We have an influx of interest out of Trinidad and Suriname but we have to exercise some degree of judgment because if we don’t, the interest we are having from Suriname and Trinidad can take over the entire building expo.”
This year’s event is being held under the theme, “Consolidating Partnerships for Sustainable Development”. The opening ceremony will be on July 5, at 17:00h at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara. Gates will be opened from 14:00h to midnight.
Under the strategic and dynamic leadership of Minister Ali, the Housing and Water Ministry successfully launched the first building expo in 2010, in direct response to the phenomenal growth of the housing sector and the related increase in the demand for related services.