With $800M allocated in 2024 for Amerindian land titling, the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs on Wednesday reported that one of its key achievements for that year is being able to allocate a whopping eight more titles.
This carries the total to 21 titles handed out since the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government took office in 2020.
Along with the completion of the rigorous processes involved in this exercise, two Certificate of Titles were granted; six absolute grants and seven demarcations were also done.
Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai made the disclosures at a press conference on Wednesday at the ministry’s Thomas Street, Georgetown office.
With funding from the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), the government has increased the legal percentage of indigenous-owned lands from six per cent in 1991 to 16.48 per cent in 2024.
The Amerindian Land Titling (ALT) project, with a budget of US$13.2 million, is on track to issue 45 absolute grants and complete 68 demarcations, the Department of Public Information (DPI) had reported last August.
Since 2020, the ALT project has issued 21 absolute grants to villages and completed 13 demarcations. In 2023 alone, 20 investigations led to six villages receiving approval for absolute grants.
Over 25,000 indigenous individuals have secured land ownership through the ALT Project since its inception, DPI reported.
The ALT project is a transformative initiative that empowers Amerindian communities to secure official recognition and legal ownership of their traditional lands and natural resources.
By strengthening land tenure rights through titling and demarcation, the project aims to enhance the social and economic development prospects of Amerindian communities.
This process is expected to bolster land tenure security and expand the asset base of Amerindians, enabling more effective long-term planning for their sustainable development and well-being.
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