People will live in Silica City before 2025 as $2.1B in contracts inked

Works at Silica City – Guyana’s second city and first smart city – are starting following the award of $2.1 billion in contracts for infrastructure works and Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal said people will be able to live here before 2025.

A total of $2.1 billion was allocated to four companies for the execution of infrastructure works at Silica City, in Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice).

The contracts were awarded to:

1. Mohamed’s Excavating Construction Inc. – $496,935,810
2. Avinash Contracting and Scrap Metal Inc- $578,946,900
3. Platinum Investments Inc. – $587,998,530
4. CB Housing Development Inc. – $448,562,415

These contracts were just four of the 126 contracts awarded on Friday by the Housing and Water Ministry at a signing event held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre at Liliendaal, Georgetown. The contracts all amounted to $56.8 billion but three of those are slated for retendering.

There, Minister Croal pointed out that the highly-anticipated Silica City, like many other projects, is moving to an implementation stage. And he announced that people will be able to live there soon.

“…by 2025, you will see much more and you (will) hear much more about Silica City… you will see people living there before that time,” Croal said.

Silica City is the brainchild of President Dr. Irfaan Ali. It was first conceptualised about a decade ago when the President served as the Minister of Housing and Water.

Upon assuming office in 2020, President Ali has been plugging this new city once again. Last month, he announced that the construction of the first 100 houses there will start this year.

On Tuesday, President Ali told reporters that Guyana will soon welcome Indian experts to help with the urban planning needed at the new city.

Before that, in April 2021, President Ali announced that developers from Singapore – whom he described as “the best in the business”– will help craft the city’s urban plans. Korean investors, during a trade delegation’s visit to Guyana in November last, also expressed an interest in financing and developing this city.