The Overseas Minister simplifies the retrocession of land to the municipalities of Guyana

"From now on, ordinary and urgent requests are immediately liberalized for the municipalities. We still have to specify the mode of management or the type of property, but the urgency for the municipalities is settled", indicated Minister Jean-François Carenco.

In this large department of 83.846 km, the State holds 94% of the land. Following the social movement of 2017, the municipalities obtained via the Guyana Agreements the retrocession of 250.000 hectares, to be able to settle farmers, build housing or public buildings such as schools. However, in November 2022, only 3.289 ha had been returned and 91.000 were still awaiting processing, far from the 250.000 ha available.

The fault of a "complex procedure" assured AFP Michel-Ange Jérémie, the president of the Association of Mayors of Guyana (AMG).

"The transfers are no longer subject to projects but are made by simple decision of the municipal council", specified Michel-Ange Jérémie, "satisfied with the exchanges with the minister who assured that the taxation on this land would be entirely transferred to the municipalities" .

Regarding the choice of areas for land retrocession to farmers and indigenous peoples, also provided for in the Guyana Agreements, the issue is "more complicated" according to Mr. Carenco. "Three working groups will be set up to move forward on the subject with farmers and indigenous peoples", who benefit from land retrocessions of 20.000 and 400.000 hectares respectively, he said.

The Guyana Accords signed on April 21, 2017 at the end of a five-week strike in the territory provided for measures for security, justice, health and education, for an amount of 1,08 billion euros .