President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said the implementation framework for the Maldives’ 20-year National Development Plan will be completed by July, following extensive public consultation and regional validation, and will take full account of the country’s financial capacity.
In his Presidential Statement, President Mohamed Muizzu said one of the most persistent challenges facing the country is frequent shifts in national direction every five years, which he described as a form of “weakness” affecting long-term development.
He said determining a clear national direction for the next 20 years through public consultation, formal approval and legal backing would be among the most constructive steps towards ensuring development, stability and security.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu said work on the plan is already under way and has made significant progress. As such, he said 10,088 public views have been collected to date. In addition, 192 public meetings were held across all inhabited islands, alongside 96 focus group discussions involving youth, women, business owners, fishermen and farmers.
He said a further 67 meetings were conducted with stakeholders, including private companies, business organisations, members of the public and cooperating political parties, covering 66 thematic areas. The process also included 20 sector-based roundtable discussions and consultations with 40 government and state institutions.
“With the input from all these engagements, the core of the 20-year National Development Plan has now been formulated,” the President said.
The next phase will involve regional validation workshops, scheduled to take place by May, to seek further input and consensus from stakeholders. A national seminar is planned for June, with the aim of formally determining the country’s development roadmap for the coming decades.
The President said ideas gathered during the validation process would be reviewed to ensure alignment across sectors, so that policies in one area do not place undue burdens on another.
He said the final version of the plan including its implementation and monitoring framework will be completed by the end of July. The President added that even once the plan is adopted, future governments will retain the authority to implement their own policies within its overall framework.