For several decades, families in Cotton Tree lived on lands passed down through generations, rooted in history but unsupported by legal ownership. But on Friday, that long chapter of uncertainty turned a decisive page as 125 families received their official land titles during a land titling and regularisation exercise held on the Rosignol tarmac, West Coast Berbice.
The exercise marks the second phase of land regularisation in the community and brings the total number of beneficiaries in Cotton Tree to over 300 families.
Minister of Education and Regional Parliamentary Representative Sonia Parag linked the moment to governance continuity and long-term planning.
“This is why continuity in government matters. These families waited for years—generations—to reach this point. This is the second phase, and it reflects bold leadership and deliberate action,” Parag stated.
“A land title is not just a piece of paper. It empowers you, emboldens you, and gives you security.”
She credited President Dr Irfaan Ali for not only initiating the process but ensuring its completion.
Reflecting on the history, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, SC, described the land titling exercise as simple in form but staggering in impact.
“This may appear to be a simple handing over of certificates of title. But the importance of this exercise is monumental,” Nandlall said.
He explained that families in Cotton Tree have lived on these lands since indentureship, inheriting property without inheriting legal ownership.
“What that meant is that generations of people lived on land they never legally owned. They could not sell it properly, could not use it as collateral, could not get fair market value, could not borrow to invest, educate their children, or improve their lives.”
That reality changes immediately for hundreds of families who received titles at no cost, as the government absorbed all expenses associated with surveys, court processes, and documentation.
The Attorney General traced the origins of the land regularisation drive back to 2006–2011, when President Ali served as Minister of Housing under the PPP/C administration. The process, he noted, was halted between 2015 and 2020, before being revived and expanded after the PPP/C returned to office.
“A government started this initiative at its own cost for the benefit of generations. Another government aborted it. When we returned, President Ali not only resumed it—he expanded it.”
Work is already underway in several neighbouring communities with more land titles to be distributed as surveys and regularisation continue across Region Five and beyond.
President Ali, addressing the gathering, said land ownership is central to dignity, economic freedom, and poverty reduction.
“What we are doing here today goes to the heart of human dignity—about ownership, opportunity, and security,” the President said.
He tied the Cotton Tree exercise to the government’s massive national housing drive, which aims to deliver 50,000 house lots in five years, alongside aggressive land titling across the coast, riverain communities and hinterland regions.
In Region Five alone, the President outlined plans involving:
- $46 billion in combined public and private housing investment
- Development of 2,000 acres of new housing land
- Construction of low-, moderate, and middle-income homes
- Support to move house-lot owners into full home ownership through financing and technical assistance.
These efforts, he said, are supported by parallel investments in drainage and irrigation, roads, water treatment plants, and agricultural expansion—including nearly $20 billion in works tied to the Hope-like Canal system.
Drawing on Guyana’s shared history, President Ali reflected on how African and indentured Indo-Guyanese ancestors sacrificed relentlessly to acquire land as a pathway out of poverty.
“They believed in ownership over dependency. In building, not begging. In assets, not handouts.”
That philosophy, he said, continues to guide the government’s development agenda.
“A family cannot escape poverty without assets. A household cannot build generational security without ownership. That is why our vision is to help Guyanese acquire wealth—not just survive.”
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