Minister of Economic Development, Transport and Trade Mohamed Saeed has called for collective action across political lines to advance the Maldives’ economy, saying meaningful progress depends on all stakeholders working toward shared goals regardless of ideological differences.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Addu Business Dialogue, Saeed described the initiative as a forum that will play a defining role in shaping Addu City’s development over the next three years.
A regionally focused approach to development
Saeed said President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s vision for economic and developmental progress centres on advancing work region by region with focused intensity. Addu City, he noted, marks the starting point of this approach.
The dialogue is designed to identify the challenges confronting Addu’s residents and business community, and to compile their proposed solutions into a formal policy paper covering the next three years. That document, prepared by the Ministry of Economic Development, will then be submitted to the Cabinet for broader deliberation and action on the obstacles facing the southern city.
Saeed urged all participants to bring forward both the problems they face and concrete ideas for resolving them.
“This is accelerated work for Addu. Addu 2027, 2028, 2029, things to be done in Addu. The people of Addu, the businesspeople of Addu, they know in their hearts the difficulties Addu faces. The hurdles. The obstacles. What we want to see is this: here are the ways to overcome those obstacles and move forward. The Government should do these things. Or once the Government does these things, we can move forward at our own pace. That is the thinking we want,” the Minister said.
Cooperation across political lines
Acknowledging that members of the business community hold a range of political views, including positions at odds with the Government, Saeed said economic development requires collaboration that transcends those differences. He pointed to the recently enacted Foreign Investment Act and the free trade agreement concluded with China as examples of what dialogue-driven policymaking can deliver.
He stressed that the Government alone cannot facilitate the scale of progress envisioned for Addu.
“Adequate land, adequate labour, adequate finance, that is how these things will get done. We all accept that this is the way forward. But in facilitating these matters, I do not think the Government alone can carry it through. The City Council will be important. Input from councillors will be important. Input from institutions will be important. And input from the business community will be important,” Saeed said.
A pilot for the 2040 vision
Saeed described the Addu initiative as a pilot project tied to the Government’s broader goal of transforming the Maldives into a developed nation by 2040. The model being tested in Addu, focused on direct engagement with local businesses and councils to produce actionable policy, is intended to inform similar work across other regions of the country.
