The Ministry of Cities, Local Government and Public Works has announced that construction of 50 new council offices across the Maldives, funded through a grant from the Chinese government, is scheduled to begin early next year. The project represents a substantial boost to local governance capacity across inhabited islands, strengthening the administrative backbone that supports communities, businesses and tourism-related services throughout the archipelago.
Deputy Minister of Cities, Local Government and Public Works, Yameen Abdul Wahhab, confirmed to PSM News that the initiative is supported by the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) under a design-and-build framework based on pre-fabricated structures. He noted that all islands selected to receive these new council buildings have already been identified following technical and administrative assessments. According to the Deputy Minister, the use of pre-fabricated construction is expected to accelerate delivery, ensure consistency in quality and reduce logistical challenges in a geographically dispersed island nation.
Yameen highlighted that Chinese technical teams have spent the past few months carrying out extensive groundwork to prepare for the implementation phase. This preparatory work includes design adaptation, site assessments and coordination with Maldivian authorities to ensure that each building is suited to local conditions. He underscored that attention is being given to quality, cultural relevance and environmental considerations, so that the new council offices integrate well with the character of each island community and its surrounding environment.
The project will deliver a mix of one-storey and two-storey buildings, allowing layouts to be tailored to the size and needs of different councils. These facilities are expected to enhance service delivery for residents and local businesses by providing modern spaces for administrative functions, public consultations and coordination of community development initiatives. For tourism-oriented islands and nearby resort-support communities, improved council infrastructure is likely to translate into more efficient permit processing, better coordination of public services and enhanced responsiveness to local needs, indirectly supporting the wider tourism value chain.
This Chinese-funded programme runs in parallel with a domestic initiative by Rasheed Carpentry and Construction Company (RCC), which is developing an additional 55 council offices. Taken together, these two large-scale efforts will significantly upgrade the institutional infrastructure of local councils. The Ministry projects that once both projects are fully underway, approximately 75 percent of all planned council buildings will be completed by the end of next year. This will provide a stronger administrative platform across the country’s islands, improving planning, governance and the overall enabling environment for socio-economic growth, including tourism-related activities that rely on effective local-level coordination and public service management.
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