Former Housing Minister, Annette Ferguson says the millions of dollars being doled out to host the grand Building Expo this week would have been better spent on addressing house lot application woes in the country.
The International Building Expo 2025 is scheduled to take place from August 14 to 17 at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence under the theme: “The Road to Success, Guyana 2030 and Beyond”. It has been hailed by the Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal, as the largest, most inclusive, and transformative edition yet, designed to be a dynamic platform where policymakers, engineers, architects, entrepreneurs, students, and citizens can engage in meaningful dialogue and collaboration.
But Ferguson, who served as minister during the David Granger-led Administration between 2015 and 2020, contends it’s all theatre.
“While this high-profile event promises innovation and economic activity, it also underscores a glaring contradiction; the government spares no expense on exhibitions, yet thousands of Guyanese remain without their house lots, unable to access lands they have already paid for, or still waiting months, even years for their land titles.
Millions of dollars will be spent to stage this grand affair, but those very funds could have been used to address urgent housing needs, clearing the backlog of allocations, completing infrastructure so that people can access their lands, and ensuring the timely issuance of titles. These are the actions that would truly improve lives, not another four days of fanfare,” Ferguson wrote.
She added that the “real beneficiaries” of the Building Expo are the businesses, developers, and merchandisers who “cash in on the hype”, adding that while the private sector’s growth is important, the event’s original purpose, to accelerate housing for ordinary citizens, has been overshadowed by commercial interests and political optics.
“To many, the Building Expo has become less about national development and more about political theatre, conveniently timed to coincide with moments when the ruling party seeks to bolster its image. The government gets the photo opportunities, the businesses get the sales, and the people get more promises,” she noted.
The former Minister said that if housing for all is truly a national priority, then the resources, energy, and urgency currently poured into staging the Building Expo should instead be channelled into delivering for the thousands still waiting.
“Only then can such events be a genuine celebration of progress, rather than a distraction from inaction,” she emphasised.
