Georgetown : The Housing Ministry’s Building and Construction Exposition 2013 is set for July 5 to 7 at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
According to the Government Information Agency, Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali said that this exposition has taken a life of its own and is much anticipated by Guyanese citizens especially the private sector.
He explained that this year, the Ministry was planning to skip the event, but the private sector has indicated its readiness for another expo. Many private sector companies have already budgeted for their participation in this event.
As such, the Ministry has commenced the necessary preparatory work for the staging of another successful building expo.
With this year’s event, the Ministry will be looking at consolidating the various partnerships that it has established with a view of securing and ensuring sustainable development.
Minister Ali said that the building and construction sector is playing a key role in the expansion of Guyana’s economy and is contributing significantly to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The Minister explained that, “one of the major issues that we faced in the construction sector last year is the changing demands for traditional construction materials…there was a period last year when we had shortages in terms of various types of building materials.”
Speaking about some of the direct benefits that have accrued from the previous building expos, the Minister spoke of the successes of one particular individual who is in the business of making concrete moldings.
When the first building expo was held in 2010, this individual approached the Ministry and requested a space to showcase his trade, at that time he couldn’t even afford to pay for a booth, but the Ministry granted him a small space notwithstanding.
By the following year, when the second expo was held, this same individual had his own tent and even indicated that he wanted to become a corporate sponsor, as his business had transformed into one that is in the tens of millions category.
From the building expo, this businessman was able to secure contracts from the private sector and at present, one of his contracts is valued over $10M.
You must be logged in to post a comment.