-by Celestine Chacon

One hundred and twenty-five families of Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice, today received their land titles, marking a significant milestone in government’s national housing and homebuilding programme.

The land title distribution was spearheaded by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali.

The distribution exercise marks the second phase of land regularisation for residents of Cotton Tree, Region Five.

President Ali in his address reflected on the sacrifices of many foreparents, who viewed acquiring assets as an important pathway out of poverty.
 
“We’re here today because our fore parents believed in ownership over dependency, they believed in building not begging, they believed in assets not handouts, and that lessons is relevant today as it is then,” he said.

He also announced that in the coming months the government will convene groups comprising of government agencies and commercial banks to provide financial and technical support to approximately 1,500 house-lot owners across the region.

In addition to land titling, the President says his government will invest close to $20 billion in new and improved drainage infrastructure.
 
These works will benefit approximately 186,000 acres of land linked to the Hope-like Canal system.
 
Overall, government investments earmarked specifically for Region Five are expected to reach approximately $46 billion.