Backed by the attraction of an oil-driven expanding national economy the government of Guyana is pushing to ensure that the country’s July 22-24 Building Expo to be staged at the National Stadium, Providence, East Coast Demerara will serve to generate even further interest in the country’s building and perhaps more importantly to further push back the architectural barriers which, up until now, do not fully reflect the reality of a country in transformation.
Public announcements by the government on the event have gone to some lengths to disclose that the event is gaining some measure of traction with sections of the international community. Last week, not for the first time, a section of the state media announced what it described as “the highly anticipated International Building Exposition ………is gaining momentum with over 200 local and international companies already registering for the event.”
If the essence of the theme for the event – “A New Frontier for Building a One Guyana” is not altogether clear to everyone, local firms will be keen to know whether the reported twelve “international companies (and) firms” that have completed the registration process and paid in full for their booths” will impact on the local construction landscape from the standpoint of possibly reducing opportunities for the smaller local operators to secure a further foothold in the construction sector.
Some years ago an organization styling itself the General Contractors Association of Guyana (GCAG) had engaged the Stabroek Business expressing an interest in participating in an earlier Building Expo. At that time representatives of GCAG had told the Stabroek Business that it was “operating for the benefit of builders, contractors and those engaged in allied industries. Additionally, GCAG had given an undertaking that it would advocate for the review of national building codes and for the introduction of a Construction Industrial Licence Board and to introduce standardized grading of contractors, using the micro, small, medium and large formula. Simultaneously, the GCAG had indicated its preparedness to participate in Building Expos.
While the Department of Public Information (DPI) disclosure on the Building Expo has indicated that up to this time “So far manufacturing, construction and engineering companies, home developers, real-estate and architectural agencies, and financial institutions are on board,” the Stabroek Business is not in possession of a list of the would-be participants in the event.
The DPI disclosure on the event quotes Housing Minister Collin Croal as disclosing at a press conference that the Building Expo “will see eight model houses on display, three of which will be built by the ministry’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA). Additionally, the Minister disclosed that the Building Expo will feature a home built from 100 percent recycled materials which will be constructed by a Mexican Company participating in the event.
Government would appear to be seeking to attract heightened interest in this year’s Building Expo with the DPI disclosure alluding to “services” that will be available at the site of the event including government’s “home construction assistance programme, which allows persons to access financing to construct their homes.”
